Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at perhaps South Korea’s best MMA prospect, Doo Ho Choi, as he takes on Mexico’s Juan Manuel Puig at UFC Fight Night 57. Doo Ho Choi “The Korean Superboy” Hometown: Daegu, South Korea Age: 23 Height: 5’9” Weightclass: Featherweight Camp: Gumi MMA Career Record: 11-1 Key Wins: None Key Losses: None Background One of South Korea’s top prospects, Doo Ho Choi, makes his UFC debut having not fought since June of 2013. The 11-1 featherweight has fought primarily in Japanese promotions like DEEP. He enters the UFC having won his last five fights all by knockout or TKO. Strengths
- Standing at 5’9”, he has good size for the featherweight division
- Confident striker
- Good technique with solid punches
- Use feints well to set up openings
- Excellent knee strikes
- Has significant power for the weight class and always looks for the finish
- Prefers to be the aggressor as opposed to being a counterstriker
Weaknesses
- Trains at a small gym with very little in-house competition
- Keeps his chin exposed
- Too willing to take a punch to get better position to land his own strikes
- Unable to hold positions on the ground
Matchup with Juan Manuel Puig The opening fight at UFC Fight Night 57 should be a fast paced, entertaining bout. Doo Ho Choi’s debut is one of the more anticipated debuts in 2014 in the UFC. He provides an action-packed style of offense that is simply fun to watch. He possesses a variety of techniques he can finish with including brutal knee strikes. Puig is another guy that doesn’t have a problem striking. The Mexican fighter tends to use a lot of leg kicks which could score early in the fight. The main problem is Puig’s chin simply isn’t good enough to hold up over 15 minutes. Puig will need to get the fight to the ground if he’s going to have a chance at winning here. This likely plays out similarly to Puig’s UFC debut with Adriano Martins; a fight that stays standing until his opponent lands the decisive blow to score a knockout win. UFC Ceiling At only 23 years of age, Doo Ho Choi is one of the best South Korean prospects ever in MMA. His combination of technique, power, and aggression will make him a handful for most fighters in the UFC’s featherweight division. As he collects wins against lower tier UFC fighters, his coaching staff needs to make it a priority that Choi improves his defensive striking. He’s too hittable on the feet and his chin will eventually fail him. In addition to his defense on the feet, he can also use some improvement in his grappling ability. So far in his MMA career, no opponent has been able to hold him down. That will become increasingly more difficult for him as he faces former collegiate wrestlers in the wrestling-heavy featherweight division. Fight Film Check out Doo Ho Choi in some of his recent fights: Doo Ho Choi vs. Mishinori Ishida https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm_KIX76U-E Doo Ho Choi vs. Shoji Maruyama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvzoLJ8htbA