MARK Striegl has now become a household name in the world of reality TV as he’s become the face of Team Philippines in the Netflix series Physical: Asia, an impressive feat considering that he started off the competition in the shadows of no other than the eight-division boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao.
Striegl has endeared himself to Filipino viewers with his show of strength, flexibility and endurance in the show. The show proved to those who knew him through his ‘Bullshido Series’ on social media – where he basically makes fun of pseudo-martial artists online – that he can certainly walk the talk as well as he makes his followers laugh.
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But for those who’ve been following local MMA for the longest time, those who know him as “Mugen,” Streigl performing at the highest level in physical tests shouldn’t come as a surprise.
No Bullshido
Before becoming the reality TV star that he is today, Striegl was one of the best mixed martial artists to represent the Philippines – having competed in every notable organization from domestic ones to the global ones as he currently totes an 18-5 record in MMA.
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He dominated the local level through the biggest MMA organization in the country in the URCC where he became the featherweight champion. He has represented the country well on the Asian level, becoming one of the faces of PXC amid their Philippine expansion more than a decade ago, before joining ONE Championship where he also had relative success.
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He also became one of the few Filipinos to ever compete in the pinnacle of MMA which is the UFC alongside the likes of Fil-American studs Brandon Vera and Mark Munoz, and homegrown stars like Rolando Dy, Mark Eddiva, Dave Galera and Roldan Sangcha-an.
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Unlike some of the most notable MMA fighters in the country who wowed the fans with their striking, Striegl’s success comes from his grappling prowess.
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A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt with a wrestling background, 14 of Striegl’s 18 mixed martial arts wins have come from submissions, making him one of the slickest grapplers to represent the country in mixed martial arts.
He owns a submission win over Kai Kara France, currently ranked No. 6 in the UFC Flyweight Rankings before they reached the UFC. He also had some notable submission wins over Harris Sarmiento, Ev Ting and Do Gyeom Lee and Filipino MMA mainstays like Crisanto Pitpitunge and Andrew Benibe among others.
But his success isn’t just limited to MMA. He represented the country in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games where he claimed gold medal in sambo, just one of the two fighters who took gold in that sport in the country’s hosting of the biennial regional event.
He might be on a different path altogether now, far from the highs of his successful MMA career, but make no mistake, Striegl isn’t your average TV and social media personality.
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He’s proven he can fight, he’s had success in the ring, and now he’s taking the entertainment world by storm.
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