By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) sensation Mark Striegl failed to hold his ground and suffered a painful 2nd round technical knockout (TKO) loss against Chas Skelly during UFC Fight Night.
Striegl was aiming to break his losing streak in the UFC but failed to do so against the tough Skelly who landed a vicious right knee in the 3:03 minute mark of the second round and followed up his attack with quick ground and pound punches.
It was the Filipino who dictated the early pace of the fight after finding success with his snappy leg kicks that negated Skelly’s takedown attempts.
Striegl continued to be patient with his attack and had several successful takedown attempts but soon as Skelly doubled up the pressure, the momentum quickly swung his way and grabbed the lead.
Skelly began to pile up the points when he finally landed a successful takedown in the last two minutes of the first round and bullied Striegl with his hammer fists.
The onslaught didn’t stop there as Skelly continued to hound Striegl at the start of the second round and was in total control of the octagon.
Striegl recovered in the fourth-minute mark of the second round when he came back picking Skelly apart with his crisp leg kicks but found himself hitting the canvass when he was caught with a wild knee that ended the contest.
Despite the loss, Striegl will still have the chance to redeem himself after his UFC contract showed three more bouts before expiry.
