13 things about Baguio City’s Mark Striegl

Also known as Mugen, Mark Edward Martinez Striegl is a professional mixed martial artist, sambist, model and actor. He was born in Tokyo, Japan to his German-American father Frank L. Striegl Sr. from New York City, New York, United States and Filipino mother Sonya Martinez Striegl from Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.

Frank Sr. and Sonya met in Tokyo where they worked as international school teachers. They have another son named Frank Striegl Jr., who is older than Mark.

It was Frank Jr. who suggested the fight name Mugen, which is Japanese for “limitless” and the name of a character from the Japanese animated series “Samurai Champloo.” Mark started using it after his third professional fight.

BIOGRAPHY

Mark, his wife Zoella Starr Cabuco Striegl and their two children are based in Baguio City, Philippines. He is a physical education teacher in Christian Legacy Academy in the city.

While attending St. Mary’s International School in Setagaya City, Tokyo, Mark joined the Wajutsu Keisyukai GODS dojo in Ota, Tokyo. After graduating high school, he moved to San Diego, California, USA with his family.

While in the U.S., Mark shuttled between San Diego and Tokyo regularly as he still trained at the Wajutsu Keisyukai GODS dojo. He went to the University of San Diego in San Diego, California, USA then transferred to Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.

Currently, Mark holds a professional MMA record of 18 wins, 5 losses and 1 No Contest. He is 5’8″ tall and he competes in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions.

As an MMA fighter, Mark has competed in several promotions including Legend Fighting Championship, Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC), ONE Championship, the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a model, he has worked with several brands including Bench, Chic n’ Honey, Whey King Supplements Philippines, EuphoriaMaxx, Shopee Philippines, Police Combat Extreme, Sprinto and Under Armour Philippines.

On June 23, 2025, Mark turned 37. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. He started training aikido in 1994 and started training wrestling in 1996.
2. From 2009 to 2012, he was an undefeated professional MMA fighter with 12 wins.
3. In 2011, he moved to Baguio City.
4. In 2015, he joined ONE Championship.
5. He was in the cast of the 2017 film “Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad“.
6. In 2018, he became the URCC Featherweight World Champion.
7. She was a Miss World Philippines 2018 judge.
8. He is a 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist.
9. In 2020, he made his UFC debut.
10. In 2023, he starred in the Filipino adaptation of the 2018 South Korean film “Keys to the Heart“.
11. He is a 2023 Southeast Asian Sambo Championships gold medalist.
12. In 2024, he was a “Running Man Philippines” Season 2 guest.
13. In 2025, he competed in the Netflix reality series “Physical: Asia“.

TIMELINE

Mark represents the Philippines in sambo. As a Baguio City resident, he was honored in the Kafagway/Kordillera International Sports Luminary Awards Podium (Kislap) in 2018 and in 2019.

2010s

• On April 24, 2015, he made his ONE Championship debut at “ONE: Valor of Champions” at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila. He submitted Casey Suire via rear-naked choke.
• He played one of the male salameanions in “Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad,” which starred Vice Ganda, Daniel Padilla and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach. A Metro Manila Film Festival 2017 entry, the comedy film premiered in the Philippines on December 25, 2017.
• On September 29, 2018, he dethroned Do Gyeom “The Undead” Lee of South Korea as the URCC Global Featherweight World Champion at “URCC: Colossal” at the Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Metro Manila.
• On October 7, 2018, he served as a judge in the Miss World Philippines 2018 coronation night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
• Held at Cove Manila in Parañaque City, Metro Manila on April 27, 2019, “URCC Global: Raw Fury” marked his first MMA bout to end in a No Contest. He defended his URCC Global Featherweight World Championship belt from Shimizu “Rolling Star” Shunichi of Japan.
• On December 5, 2019, he won the gold medal in sambo in the -74kg division at the Southeast Asian Games 2019 by defeating Deni Fadhillah of Indonesia and Ashvin Singh Jaswant of Singapore at the Angeles University Foundation in Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines.
• On December 18, 2019, he received a medal representing the rank of Kamagi under the Order of Lapulapu from Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte at the Malacañang Palace in Manila, Metro Manila.

2020s

• On October 17, 2020, he made his UFC debut at “UFC Fight Night 180” on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He was knocked out by Said Nurmagomedov.
• He played Elimar in Kerwin Go‘s film “Keys to the Heart”, which was released on Netflix on October 4, 2023.
• On December 17, 2023, he won gold in the combat sambo -79 kilogram division and a bronze in the -79kg sport sambo division at the 2023 Southeast Asian Sambo Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• He was one of the celebrity guests of “Running Man Philippines” Season 2, which aired on GMA Network from May 11, 2024 to September 8, 2024.
• He, Manny Pacquiao, Justin Coveney, Lara Lorraine Liwanag, Ray Querubin, Robyn Brown and Justin Hernandez represented the Philippines in “Physical: Asia”, which aired on Netflix from October 28, 2025 to November 18, 2025.
• On November 20, 2025, he and Liwanag were interviewed by Boy Abunda.
• He shared a fight scene with Gerald Anderson in the finale of “Sins of the Father”, which aired on the Kapamilya Channel on November 21, 2025.