Mark Striegl confirms he tested positive for COVID-19 two days before UFC debut

Filipino-American mixed martial arts star Mark Striegl was about to enter the biggest and most important fight of his career until he took a knockout blow from COVID-19.

Two days before his next bout, Striegl was pulled out of his UFC debut against Timur Valiev on the undercard of UFC on ESPN 15 on August 22 (August 23 PHL time) at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Several reports were made on Friday surrounding the development but it was not until Saturday (PHL time) that Striegl confirmed the news that he indeed caught the virus.

“I tested positive for CV19 and my August 22 UFC fight is canceled,” Striegl wrote on his social media.

“You can never be too careful these days. Thankfully, my symptoms are mild and I'm looking forward to bouncing back!”

The 32-year-old Stiegl is a 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and holds a professional MMA record of 18-2. —KG, GMA News