Possible ONE FC title shot awaits Striegl if he wins in December

MANILA, Philippines – If Mark Striegl plays his cards right at ONE Championship’s “Spirit of Champions” event on December 11, his next fight may earn him a crack at the world bantamweight title.

ONE chief executive officer Victor Cui told Rappler that an impressive win by Striegl in his upcoming 3-round bout versus Jordan Lucas could earn him a date with bantamweight titleholder Bibiano Fernandes.

“That’s a fight I would definitely want to see. It’s an inevitable crash course for that,” the Filipino-Canadian head honcho quipped.

The last time that Striegl fought for a mixed martial arts title was in September 2013 when he squared off with Jang Yong Kim for the vacant Pacific Xtreme Combat featherweight belt.

In the aforementioned encounter with the gritty Korean, Striegl tasted the lone loss of his six-year prizefighting career as Kim fastened a Kimura lock and then applied a leg-scissor choke to compel the Filipino-American fighter to tap in the third round.

(READ: Striegl, Julaton booked for ONE FC Manila event in December)

Striegl admitted that he was able to pick up valuable lessons from his defeat to Kim and managed to shape up his overall skill-set in the sport.

“That was a tough fight to swallow, but I believe in my skills,” he said. “It was a learning experience. When you learn the most and when you rise from defeat, that’s when you improve.”

Since the submission setback to Kim, Striegl has won two-straight matches via submission, including his successful promotional debut under the ONE banner this past April. 

Although his goal is to become the organization’s 135-pound kingpin, Striegl is not taking Lucas lightly.

Lucas, who makes his first ONE cage appearance against Striegl, is coming off two-straight submission triumphs and only went the distance twice in his three-year professional run.

“Lucas is a tough guy. He is a champion from Australia and an undefeated fighter with an 8-0 record. He is no slouch. I got my eyes set on the world title, but first I have to beat Jordan Lucas,” he expressed. – Rappler.com