Who is Mark Striegl's foe in UFC 261?
MANILA, Philippines – When Filipino mixed martial arts fighter Mark Striegl returns to the octagon on February 19, 2022, his opponent will be 36-year-old American Chas Skelly, who ironically sports the same win-loss-draw record of 18-3-0.
That isn’t the only similarity between the two fighters.
Striegl and Skelly made their mixed martial arts debut in 2009 —the former with Total Combat and the latter with XKO (Xtreme Knockout).
Skelly got Will Samuels to submit in the first round via choke. Striegl, for his part, defeated Andy Jewett in the second round via submission (rear-naked choke).
Interestingly, Striegl’s fight against Jewett was at the Star Light Bowl in Balboa Park, San Diego, which is a 10-minute drive from his alma mater of the University of San Diego, where he received a degree in Physical Education.
When both fighters got called up to the UFC, they lost their debut — Striegl to Russian fighter Said Nurmagomedov via knockout in the first round and Skelly to Bosnian-American Mirsad Bektic via unanimous decision.
When Skelly and Striegl meet on February 19, there will be a parting of ways. Skelly though is a UFC veteran with 11 bouts under his belt going 7-3-1.
Nicknamed “the Scrapper”, Skelly has not fought since September 2019 — a unanimous decision win over Jordan Griffin.
The 36-year-old was supposed to fight twice this 2021 but his February match with Jamall Emmers was canceled moments before the fight was to begin when his opponent suffered back spasms making it the easiest payday he’s ever had.
Last October, Skelly was yanked for undisclosed reasons two weeks before his match with Michael Trizano.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, this February 2022 it isn’t only Skelly who will be making his octagon return but also Striegl, whose own comeback was delayed by injury and COIVD-19.
The fight will be televised in the Philippines through the Premier Sports Channel on Skycable and Cignal and through the Tap Go streaming application.
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