Striegl eyes payback vs Alitao in Kombat Sports Kalayaan MMA festival

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino mixed martial arts star Mark Striegl will be gunning for revenge against Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Paige Alitao, who defeated teammate Troy Legaspi last year. 

Alitao beat Legaspi in the URCC 87 last year in a grappling bout. 

Striegl, this time around, will face Alitao for the grappling super fight championship during the Kombat Sports Kalayaan (KSK) MMA festival in Makati City on April 28th. 

One of the most popular MMA fighters in the Philippines, the 35-year-old Striegl said he aims to exact revenge for his teammate Legaspi. 

“It’s been a while since I competed in Manila. And of course the matchup with Paige, I was there in Troy's corner when he beat Troy. I was there,” he told reporters in a press conference on Thursday. 

“So, of course, to get revenge and get the win back for our team, I jumped on that opportunity,” he added. 

The Striegl-Alitao bout is set to have one 10-minute round, under ADCC rules. 

He said that he will be going for the finish against his opponent. 

“Yeah, if you ever watch me fight, I always go for the finish. I’m never in a boring MMA grappling, sambo fight,” she said.

“I’m definitely gonna be looking for the finish on the first minute, eighth minute, 10th minute, right before the bell, whatever it takes.” 

The former UFC fighter and Alitao will face each other in the first KSK MMA festival set on the last Sunday of April, which will be a setup along a closed P. Burgos street in Makati. 

Aside from the MMA fights, there will be performances and stores along the street. 

Cyren Seno, the owner of KSK gym, said she is aiming to start “something novel” that “has never been done before.”

The main event of the festival will be a KSK MMA championship fight between Filipino fighter Godwin Langbayan and Singaporean Sim Kai Xiong.