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| Mark Striegl remains free from COVID-19 with a full month left before his UFC return. ONE Championship (file photo) |
MANILA—Mark Striegl's journey to his much-anticipated UFC debut in 2020 hit a crucial road block when he contracted COVID-19.
Despite recovering, the COVID situation took a toll on him as he had a tough time and eventually conceded a knockout loss against Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Korean Zombie in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 18, 2020 (Philippine Time).
After taking the full 2021 off, Striegl is back in training mode as he takes on American opponent Chas Skelly at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev on Feb. 20 (Philippine Time) in Las Vegas.
And so far, with only one month left before the match, he remains COVID-free.
"It's definitely good to not have to worry and think about that," Striegl said on Thursday in an online press conference organized by the UFC's official Philippine broadcast partner, Tap DMV.
He then recalled the time he tried to keep himself from getting infected upon entering his training camp before from going out of his hometown in Baguio in a rare moment amid the pandemic to flying out for Las Vegas only to get tested positive for COVID-19 a few days after.
"It was pretty hectic because it was at the start of the pandemic. I was in Baguio with my family at that time hibernating and staying in the house like most people. There was a lot of fear," Striegl described the situation then.
On how his training camp went after catching COVID-19, he said, "It was pretty overwhelming."
Good thing for him, barring huge developments within the next days leading up to the fight, he remains negative for the virus.
"It feels great to be healthy now and knock on wood," Striegl further said.
Tap DMV will air the entire UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev fight card on its Premier Sports channel on Sky Cable and Cignal and on the Tap Go app.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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