Striegl still hurting after PXC loss
It’s been almost a week since Filipino-American fighter Mark “Mugen” Striegl lost the PXC (Pacific Xtreme Combat) featherweight world championship to Korean Kim Yang-jong, but up to now, he’s still hurting.
“Being my first professional loss, it was hard to stomach. It still definitely hurts,” Mark admitted after the Inquirer got to him four days after the bout.
Losing had not been an option for the 25-year-old fighter from Baguio who was undefeated until last Saturday, winning 10 of his 12 fights by submission and finishing off all his opponents only in the first round.
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Striegl conceded that Kim had “a really good game plan going into the fight.”
“He attacked my arm. He didn’t give me a chance to settle after the takedown. He dictated the pace and tempo with that Kimura lock, so I was always defending. The attack on my arm took a lot of stamina out of me. He’s a big, strong guy, a giant at featherweight.”
“And that scissors lock on my neck at the end of the first round, that definitely drained my cardio as well,” Striegl said.
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A scribe had asked Striegl during the pre-event press conference if he was superstitious.
He responded with a dimpled smile, as if to say “No, I don’t believe in superstition. That’s all nonsense!”
With an unblemished record, Striegl was fighting his 13th match against Kim, who carries the fearsome moniker, “The Beast.”
Before Saturday, there had been talk that Mark, the best pound-for-pound fighter in the country today, would be in the undercard of a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) competition set here in Manila in 2014.
Striegl said he can’t wait to get back to the cage, after evaluating last Saturday’s performance.
“I’ve pinpointed my mistakes and will work on them. I’m so excited, so hungry to get back in the cage and I’d like a rematch with Kim in the future.”
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Did the number 13 have anything to do with last Saturday’s loss? The same scribe who asked Striegl if he was superstitious and who followed him to the dugout after the match said the fighter appeared to be stunned. It took a while before anybody could talk to him. It was obvious that he did not expect to lose that night.
“His matchmaker told him that nobody stays undefeated in this sport, but that didn’t make him feel any better. Now he understands why many buildings, especially in China, do not have a 13th floor,” the scribe said.
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HOOPVINE: As of yesterday, a total of 150 amateur cagers from various colleges and universities have joined the first PBA D-League rookie draft scheduled today at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City. Although the draft sequence follows the same format as that of the PBA (lowest-ranked team has first pick), the actual drafting will be simple and not a dress-up affair. “The draftees need not even attend, but if anyone wants to come, he is welcome,” said PBA media bureau chief Willie Marcial
