Striegl was initially supposed to face off against Australia's Jordan Lucas in the co-main event of ONE Championship: Spirit of Champions on December 11 at the Mall of Asia Arena, but Lucas was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an eye injury sustained in training.
Another Australian, Reece McLaren, stepped in to take his place, much to the relief of Striegl.
"It was a little less than two weeks before the fight," Striegl said, when asked when he found out that he had a new opponent. "So it was certainly nerve-wracking."
He holds no ill will towards Lucas – "That happens in this sport," he said of the injury – but is grateful that ONE Championship was able to find a replacement in time.
"I guess I was destined to fight an Australian," he joked Tuesday at the KMA Fitness Gym in Makati. "I'm just thankful that I can still fight in Manila, in the co-main event."
McLaren, like Lucas, is a champion in a local Australian organization, and Striegl says they are "equally dangerous." Nevertheless, his outlook remains unchanged.
"I always look to finish my opponent in the first round," he said. "You'll never see me in a boring fight. So I'm looking to take him out in the first round."
"It's a different opponent, so there are definitely some things you have to change up," he also said. "But a fight is a fight, and that's always my outlook on it. You go into a fight, you have to adapt inside the cage."
"You can only drill and do so many things. At the end of the day, it's just reaction, action, and reaction. I'll be ready."
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
