Mark Striegl makes his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi this weekend having taken a path forged by centuries of feared Filipino warriors and followed by boxing great Manny Pacquiao.
Striegl based himself in the cool mountain climate of Baguio City and it paid off as he became the only Philippines-based fighter on the UFC's books.
"There's the high-altitude training but there's also the history there," said Filipino-American Striegl. "Once I'd fought there, I couldn't get myself to leave."
Baguio City – on the northern Philippines island of Luzon – has in the past hosted eight-weight world champion Pacquiao's training camps.
The 32-year-old MMA bantamweight Striegl first visited Baguio a decade ago for a mixed martial arts bout.
The mountains are home to the indigenous Igorot people, legendary warriors who resisted colonial domination for hundreds of years.
From 1565 to 1898 they successfully fought to keep the gold found on their lands out of the hands of Spanish colonial powers. They continued their defiance after Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. They then fought against Japanese occupiers during World War Two.
"Everybody knows about the warriors from the mountains and that history really surrounds you," said Striegl.
Today Baguio City is home to gyms such as Shape Up Boxing and Team Lakay MMA that have hosted a string of top-class fighters, including Pacquiao and the Asia-based One Championship's strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio.
'Living in a movie'
Striegl, who has an MMA record of 18 wins with two defeats, will begin his UFC career in the talent-rich bantamweight division against Russia's Said Nurmagomedov (13-2) on Sunday morning at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi – the fourth of five Fight Island shows.
It is a debut delayed from August when Striegl tested positive for Covid-19 just two days before a maiden bout at the UFC's Las Vegas base, despite having spent weeks in isolation in Manila before travelling.
After 10 days in quarantine fighting off the coronavirus he was cleared to resume training and now comes his date with Nurmagomedov -- the first contest of Streigl's four-fight UFC contract.
"Thankfully it came and it went," Striegl said of the virus. "I had a fever and lost my sense of taste and smell. But now I have had a full fight camp and I am super stoked. It's almost like I have been living in a movie."
___________
Fighters arrive in Abu Dhabi for UFC Fight Night
___________
'Crazy, crazy game'
Striegl was born in Tokyo to an American father and Filipina mother and started out in karate and wrestling. He spent his college years in California before turning to MMA and making the Philippines his home.
Striegl grafted for a decade in regional fight promotions such as Asia's One Fighting Championship and the Philippine-based Universal Reality Combat Championship, where he claimed the featherweight belt. He is also the reigning Southeast Asian Games combat sambo gold medallist.
"It's a crazy, crazy game," said Striegl. "This is just one of those adventures I will look back on one day and just laugh about. It's super fun."
The UFC was one of the first international sports organisations to restart during the Covid-19 pandemic, setting up sports "bubbles" in Florida, Las Vegas and then in Abu Dhabi, where the promotion is currently having its second month-long stay.
The 28-year-old Nurmagomedov is also a mountain man, from Russia's Dagestan, famed for producing his cousin and feared UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0), conqueror of Conor McGregor.
"I'm expecting a war," said Striegl. "There's never an easy fight in the UFC and I am expecting Said to bring out the best in me.
"I'm never in a boring fight. He's from the mountains of Russia and I'm from the mountains of the Philippines, so this is going to be a good one."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Company%C2%A0profile
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More Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions:
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
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Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
