Mark “Mugen” Striegl (18-3, 1 no contest) suffered a first-round knockout to Russian Said Nurmagomedov (14-2) in the UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie on Sunday, October 18, in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
The Filipino-American fighter out of Baguio City lasted for only 51 seconds in his octagon debut as he got tagged by Nurmagomedov’s sneaky left hook, followed by a barrage of accurate punches and a vicious ground and pound that wrapped up the first fight of the card.
“I just kept punching him until he fell and then I knocked him out,” Nurmagomedov said. “More to come [for me], I’m ready for top 10, top 15, I’m going to show much more”
This was Striegl’s first defeat in the cage since his submission loss to Reece McLaren in 2015 under the ONE Championship promotion.
Originally, Striegl was supposed to make his UFC debut in August against Timur Taliev, but days before the event, a positive coronavirus test forced the 32-year-old veteran to pull out of the fight.
In the main event, Brian “T-City” Ortega (15-1) looked sharp all-around as he scored a convincing unanimous decision victory against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (16-6).
Ortega, who came from his first career loss against former champion Max Holloway, dropped Jung twice in the first two rounds with a left hook and a well-timed spinning elbow to control the pace of the bout.
The Korean Zombie survived until the final bell as he managed to recover from the early knockdowns, but Ortega cleanly pulled away with his striking that completely outclassed and stunned his opponent.
“It feels good,” Ortega said. “I got everything back to work. I said I need to become a new guy and get better in MMA. Today, I tried to show up the best that I could, mix it all up to show everyone that I’m back.”
The bounce-back victory also serves as a ticket for Ortega to another shot at a UFC title and he will face reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in his next match.
“The thought of fighting you [Volkanovski] is an excitement,” Ortega said. “I got my whole team and we’re ready [for you]. Ready or not, I’m coming.”
In the co-main event, Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (21-8) moved a step closer for a title shot as she knocked out top flyweight contender Katlyn “Blonde Fighter” Chookagian (14-4) in the first round.
Body shots completed the job for Andrade, who became the first female to win a fight in 3 different weight divisions. – Rappler.com
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