Mark Striegl falls to Said Nurmagomedov in UFC debut

Said Nurmagomedov follows up on his deciding left hook on Mark Striegl with a series of strikes. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Mark Striegl's much-anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship debut did not end up well after he lost to Russian opponent Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Fight Night 180 at the UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi early Sunday (Philippine Time).

Nurmagomedov stunned Striegl with a solid left hook that set up the former's knockout attack.

The referee called the fight in just 51 seconds, giving Nurmagomedov his 14th win in his career against two losses.

He bounced back from his UFC Fight Night 165 loss to Raoni Barcelos on Dec. 22, 2019 (Philippine Time).

Meanwhile, Striegl, the current Universal Reality Combat Championship featherweight champion, lost for just the third time in his career against 18 wins but his first time by knockout.

His previous two losses to South Korean Kim Jang-Yong at PXC 39 and Filipino-Australian Reece McLaren at One: Spirit of Champions were all by submission.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno_