Fight Path: PXC's undefeated Mark Striegl credits PRIDE for MMA career

Mark Striegl's family came from all over the world, but it might've been the city where they decided to settle that helped place Striegl on a path for his later career.

Striegl's Filipino mother and American father raised their family in Tokyo. While he was growing up, what was arguably the main MMA association in the world, PRIDE Fighting Championships, was based in the Japanese city.

The early exposure helped Striegl learn about the sport early, which set him up for a later career.

"Seeing that on TV and actually attending some of the live events when I was pretty young definitely had an influence on me," Striegl wrote in an email to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I was always a fan of the sport."

And now, he is a growing force in the sport's featherweight division. With his win against Harris Sarmiento in November at Pacific Xtreme Combat 34, which he calls the most notable event yet in his career, Striegl improved to 12-0.

Earning eight of those victories in the first round, Striegl both built excitement in his own career and helped the growth of the nine-year-old PXC. The promotion has expanded its attendance and viewership, and Saturday's nine-fight show in Pasig City, Philippines, is just the second to include global live streaming.

Saturday's show includes a lightweight title fight between Sarmiento and Isiah Ordiz as part of its 35th professional MMA event.

Striegl won't appear on Saturday's card, but he's continuing to prepare for his next fight while coming off the momentum-building win against Sarmiento, who is the current PXC 155-pound titleholder (their fight was a non-title affair).

The 24-year-old now lives in Baguio City, Philippines, making him an appropriate companion for PXC as he builds his career.

It's a career that was helped, in part, by where his family decided to live.

Diverse background

Striegl's parents are both teachers, still working at the international school in Tokyo. It's the same school that he and his brother attended, which gave him early experience in dealing with others from different backgrounds.

"There was no difficulty in blending in as I practically grew up in an international school that's made up of different nationalities," Striegl wrote.

His father traveled to his parents' homes for various holidays, which meant he often visited both the Philippines and New York. As well as quickly adapting to other cultures at high school, he could also quickly blend in to other countries.

An athlete growing up, Striegl was often involved in sports. That included wrestling, which helped set a base for his MMA career.

His first martial arts training came when he was 17 years old, right after he finished high school. By 2009 he was a professional fighter, and he debuted at Total Combat 34 in San Diego with a second-round rear-naked choke victory. He has since not been defeated.

Later, he would pair up with a promotion that was growing closer to his home, and both would benefit.

Staying undefeated

In his first five fights, Striegl appeared in five different promotions while working to spread his name and gain experience in the sport.

All were wins, in Total Combat, Pacific Rim Organized Fighting, Universal Reality Combat Championship, Trench Warz and Legend Fighting Championship.

"I have been fighting for a lot of different promotions all around Asia," he wrote. "I'm thankful for the opportunities, and I'm just really happy to be fighting here in the Philippines."

That chance finally came in September 2012, when he appeared at PXC 33. His first-round submission win over Robert Wusstig impressed enough that the promotion offered a shot, though a non-title shot, at Sarmiento.

At the next show, PXC 34, Striegl scored a second straight first-round submission in a fight that helped him gain more confidence and ran his record to 12-0.

"Although we were not fighting for his belt, my family flew in from Tokyo to watch me fight," Striegl wrote. "That was really great."

It was also a continuation of growth for PXC. Founded in 2004 in Guam, the promotion has now put on more than 60 events, with its 35th pro MMA event coming on Saturday.

PXC reported recently that the Philippines has been a particularly hospitable host, as viewership increased in that area 300 percent since 2011, and attendance at shows there increased 500 percent in the same period.

It helps when there are successful fighters such as Striegl, who has won 10 of his 12 victories by submission. An active athlete for many years, he said he would've likely always been involved in something physical for his profession, but the fact that he grew up in the home of PRIDE helped turn him toward MMA.

"I'd probably be a personal trainer or a wrestling coach, something physical or working out," he wrote.

His career, of course, it working out fine.

http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/02/fight-path-pxcs-undefeated-mark-striegl-credits-pride-for-mma-career