Fighting for the first time since his release by the Ultimate Fighting Championship last year,
Mark
Striegl’s quest for redemption will pick up where his Octagon
journey began.
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According to a source with knowledge of the matchup, the
34-year-old Filipino will take on Italy’s Walter
Cogliandro in a 150-pound catchweight bout at UAE Warriors 39
on March 18 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The source asked to
remain anonymous since the fight has yet to be announced
officially.
Former Universal Reality Combat Championship titleholder Striegl
(18-4, 1 NC) joined the UFC in 2020 after compiling a four-fight
win streak with one no contest. His debut, at UFC Fight Night 180
in Abu Dhabi’s Flash Forum, nicknamed “Fight Island” by the
promotion, ended in a knockout loss to Said
Nurmagomedov. His second UFC appearance, at UFC Fight Night 201
last February, saw him lose to Chas Skelly
in similar fashion, leading to his release in May.
SBG Ireland representative Cogliandro (11-4-1) is looking to bounce
back from a two-bout skid. In his latest appearances, “The Snatch”
dropped a unanimous decision to Jae Hyuk
Bang at Brave CF 58 before being outpointed by Yves Landu on
all scorecards at Bellator 287. Cogliandro’s latest victory dates
back to March 2022, when he edged Sten
Saaremae at Cage MMA Finland 53.
UAE Warriors 39 will go down at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu
Dhabi, on March 18. The card is topped by a featherweight clash
between Mochamed
Machaev and Bagdos
Olzhabay while the co-headliner features a bantamweight clash
between
Vinicius de Oliveira Prestes de Matos and Hikaru
Yoshino.