Exciting featherweight prospect Doo-Ho Choi will be back in action this weekend. He has not fought in the promotion since 2019. At one point, he was one of the most promising fighters in the promotion. His bout against Cub Swanson was one of the most entertaining fights in UFC history. The contest was so great that the UFC inducted it into the Hall of Fame.
However, his recent Octagon history is nothing to brag about. Including the Cub Swanson fight, he has lost all 3 of his last bouts. Jeremy Stephens and Charles Jourdain both defeated Choi via KO. However, it has been over two years since his last contest and he will be looking to make his way through the rankings once more.
Doo Ho Choi will fight Kyle Nelson at #UFCSeoul on February 4th. (first rep. @JHKMMA) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 pic.twitter.com/zCaSbPiSkb
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) November 8, 2022
His opponent this weekend will be Kyle Nelson. Nelson signed for the UFC in 2018. He made his main roster debut on December 8, 2018, against Carlos Diego Ferreira. However, his debut was nothing to brag about and Nelson lost the fight via knockout. His last journey to the Octagon came against Jai Herbert in July last year.
So who is the favorite between the two fighters to come out on top? Let’s analyze the stats and find out who wins this weekend.
UFC Vegas 68: Doo-Ho Choi vs Kyle Nelson, Stats
| Stats | Rodolfo Vieira | Dustin Stoltzfus |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 14 | 15 |
| Losses | 4 | 5 |
| Height | 1.78 m | 1.8 m |
| Division | Featherweight | Featherweight |
| Reach | 177.8 cm | 180.3 cm |
| Age | 31 | 31 |
Doo-Ho vs Nelson: Fight Breakdown
Doo-Ho Choi has had long periods of absence from the Octagon in his career. The South Korean fighter had his first UFC fight in 2014. He knocked out Juan Puig in 18 seconds to make a great impression in front of the fans. But he has fought only 6 times inside the Octagon since signing almost 9 years ago. Currently, on a 2-fight losing streak, Doo-Ho needs to bounce back.
Kyle Nelson, on the other hand, only has 1 win in his 5 fights in the company. He has been finished 3 times already in the Octagon. So this is definitely going to be a do-or-die fight for him. A loss here may force Nelson to look for a career elsewhere. However, with 5 KOs and 4 submissions, he does possess great skills to bounce back.
Doo-Ho Choi is a versatile striker with 11 knockouts under his belt. So fans can expect to see Nelson trying to take the bout to the ground as soon as possible. Choi, on average, lands 5.32 strikes per minute as per UFC stats. But he also absorbs 6.38 strikes in the same period. But, with only 3.34 strikes per minute, Kyle Nelson would not necessarily want to go toe to toe with the Korean fighter.
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Although Nelson has fought more recently, neither fighter has any momentum behind them. So the longer break may actually help Choi on this occasion. Despite some bad losses, he had the chance to spend a long time outside the Octagon. So he would be raring to go come the weekend. Nelson does not have the best takedown accuracy with only 10%. So Choi may just have a field day in striking and secure a KO win.
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