UFC Hall of Famer, Doo-Ho Choi, returned to Octagon at UFC Vegas 68. The bout was set to take place in the featherweight division. He fought Kyle Nelson in the main card of the Fight Night event. After three successive losses, Choi was looking to return with a bang! After more than 3 years outside the Octagon, was he able to get back to winning ways? Let’s find out!
Kyle was also under a lot of pressure to deliver after losing 2 fights in a row. Hence, he was just looking for opportunities to take the fight to the ground. The South Korean fighter had a fierce reputation for his striking. Hence, it was imperative for Nelson to take away the threat of striking. He did so very early in the first round with a well-timed takedown.
Korean Super Boy is BACK!@THE__MONSTER welcomes Dooho Choi back to the Octagon next at #UFCVegas68!
— UFC (@ufc) February 5, 2023
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While Kyle did not do much damage with ground and pound, he did threaten Doo-Ho Choi with a few submissions. But Choi worked with The Korean Zombie on his grappling and quickly turned the tables. He even managed to secure a crucifix position in the final few moments of the round. However, it did not result in a finish and round 1 ended with a surprisingly low amount of strikes.
Doo-Ho Choi was penalized 1 point for headbutting Kyle Nelson
Choi knew his strength and opted to strike right at the beginning of round 2. But Nelson managed to tag Choi with a counter punch. However, Choi managed to recover relatively quickly and even managed to stuff a takedown. Choi kept on chopping on Nelson’s legs as well. With his hard kicks, Doo-Ho kept Nelson at bay and managed to pick him apart from a distance.
Kyle Nelson’s corner let him know that he needed to finish the fight in round 3 to win the contest. He took the advice and went to work immediately. Although Choi connected with a hard punch, Nelson managed to drive Doo-Ho Choi to the mat. Nicknamed “The Monster,” Nelson did a good job at keeping the fight on the ground for about 3 minutes of the final round.
The Korean Super Boy and Kyle Nelson fight to a majority draw at #UFCVegas68
— UFC (@ufc) February 5, 2023
How'd you score it?
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But the action came to a halt when Doo-Ho Choi accidentally head-butted Kyle Nelson. However, the ref did not see it that way and decided to take 1 point away from Choi. But immediately after the fight resumed, Nelson went back to wrestling. The lack of action was very evident. The only damage in round 3 from strikes came when Choi decided to land some hard shots to Nelson’s back.
Choi vs Nelson: scorecard and punching stats
The bout ended in a majority draw when two judges scored it 28-28, 28-28, and one judge had it 29-27. So it is evident that Choi would have won the contest if there was no point deduction. As per UFC stats, Kyle Nelson managed 20 significant strikes out of an attempted 58. In contrast, Doo-Ho Choi landed 50 significant strikes. In total, Nelson landed only 39 strikes and Choi landed 79.
#UFCVegas68 Official Scorecard: Kyle Nelson vs Dooho Choi
— UFC News (@UFCNews) February 5, 2023
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However, Nelson did manage to secure 5 takedowns in the fight, as opposed to Choi’s 0 takedowns. He also controlled the action on the ground for 5:34 minutes and Doo-Ho Choi had a control time of 3:58 minutes. Despite more ground control, the Canadian MMA fighter did not manage to do any damage. Choi, on the other hand, busted up Nelson throughout the contest.
What is your take on the bout? Do you think the accidental headbutt cost Doo-Ho Choi the win? Let us know in the comments down below.
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