One of ONE Championship’s hottest MMA prospects, Mark Striegl is certainly someone worth knowing about. The 27 year-old Filipino-American was raised in Japan with an older brother, who influenced him to start martial arts. After training Aikido at 6 and Wrestling at 8, you could say that the rest is pretty much history.
With a fight record of 14-1, there’s no denying Mark’s talent. Having fought in many different fight promotions around the world such URCC, PXC, Legend, DARE Championship, and MIMMA, Mark is more than ready to take his place amongst the warriors of ONE Championship. At the helm of his career, there’s no stopping this submission specialist.
Curious to know more about Mark? Here’s 8 Things You Didn’t Know About ONE Superstar Mark Striegl:
1) He Received The Fighter Nickname “Mugen” By Chance.
Mugen, which means “limitless” in Japanese, was a fighter nickname that Mark chose right before his third professional fight. When prompted for his fighter nickname, his brother suggested the name, after a character from an anime cartoon, Samurai Champloo. He has been using the name ever since!
2) He Finds Comfort In Creating Ceramics.
Unlike many MMA fighters, and unknown to many people, one of Mark’s hobbies is creating ceramics. “I enjoy using the wheel and “throwing” or creating large bowls or plates,” laughs Mark, “I find it relaxing, just like in the movie Ghost.”
3) He’s A Big Foodie.
If you follow Mark on Instagram, you’ll realize right away what a big foodie he truly is. Famous for accomplishing food challenges and eating insane amounts of food, we can only imagine how difficult it must be for him to cut weight!
4) He Wants To Fight Bibiano Fernandes One Day.
Like other MMA fighters, it is Mark’s goal to fight someday for the title of ONE Bantamweight World Champion. “I want to eventually fight the champion,” says Mark, “I really want a good challenge!” Although relatively new in the promotion, Mark understands that he still has to work his way up to fight Bibiano Fernandes, the current ONE Bantamweight World Champion.
5) He Looks To Manny Pacquiao As Inspiration.
Practically considered a national hero in the Philippines, it’s easy to see why Mark looks to Pacquiao as inspiration. With an amazing story like his, Pacquiao is an example of how hard work and determination can help you achieve your dreams.
“He’s an amazing fighter and a great person outside of the ring,” says Mark, “He’s really the people’s champ!”
6) He’s Your Typical Little Brother.
Everyone has that little brother or sister who copies everything you do. According to Mark, he was your typical little brother, following his brother everywhere — even into training martial arts.
“I started training because of my older brother, Frank,” explains Mark. “Being the younger brother, I copied him because I thought he looked cool.”
7) He Started MMA In His Senior Year Of High School.
After training Aikido and Wrestling from elementary school all the way through high school, it was then that Mark decided to try MMA. Watching Pride Championship on TV, Bruce Lee movies and even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles encouraged Mark to pursue his martial arts dreams. Needless to say, his dreams have begun to come true!
8) He Once Lost 20 Pounds In 2 Days.
Thanks to a horrible weight cutting experience, Mark had the bad luck of having to lose 20 pounds in two days. “I accidentally used a faulty scale that said I was 10 pounds off when I was really 20 pounds too heavy,” reveals Mark, “I ended up having to lose 20 pounds in just 2 days!”
Mark considers this possibly the worst experience of his life. In fact, he remembers asking his friends to make sure he came back after his run — he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it back!
The future certainly looks bright for Mark Striegl, especially as a rising star in the ONE Championship cage. You can catch Mark in ONE Championship : Tigers of Asia in Kuala Lumpur on 9 October 2015!
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