The most terrifying man in the UFC featherweight division looks like he’s straight out of a K-pop smash hit, smiling and baby-faced, with a mop of (occasionally dyed) hair that brushes the top of his brow. It’s an angelic appearance that belies his talent for the fistic arts. Indeed, there may be no fighter in the UFC with a greater disparity between veneer and performance than Dooho Choi, who possesses the kind of soul-shattering power that sends opponents to the dark lands and keeps GIF-makers in business.
In his three UFC bouts so far, Choi has yet to break a sweat, knocking out each of his opponents inside of the first round.
First, he obliterated Juan Puig with a straight right, then he vaporized Sam Sicilia with a multi-punch combo, and most recently, he folded up Thiago Tavares with a laser-guided right.
At UFC 206 this Saturday night, he makes the leap, taking on a ranked opponent for the first time against No. 4 Cub Swanson.
With the UFC featherweight division open for business (more on that later), the 25-year-old Choi may be the one to help the weight class move on from Conor McGregor’s reign of terror. He’s young and exciting, and he’s no fluke.
“I know I can beat anyone I want to,” Choi recently told the Asia Times. “If I land my right hand, no one can handle it.”
While the first part of his statement remains to be seen, he has mostly proved the second with plenty of exhibits for evidence.
From the beginning, Choi (15-1) has demonstrated the kind of power rarely seen in the featherweight division, boasting eight straight knockouts dating back to 2011. And these aren’t the kind of knockouts that come after an unrelenting volume of strikes wear down opponents. They’re single shots that end fights in a thunderbolt. Explosions. Like this one. And this one. And oh my goodness, this one. And seriously, look at this power. This man is a high-caliber weapon.
Choi arrived in the UFC with the weight of expectations on his slight shoulders. In April 2014, a few months before Choi signed with the UFC, Fight Network analyst Robin Black chose him as the No. 1 prospect in all of MMA. Ahead of World Series of Fighting champions Marlon Moraes and Justin Gaethje, future UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, and Olympic wrestler Henry Cejudo.
If he felt any pressure from such declarations, it was undetectable in his comportment. He carries himself with a casual ease, a lightness that, combined with his youthful appearance, may serve to disarm opponents before they get their first taste of his power.
Choi’s stand-up is technical, filled with feints to draw opponents into his range and funnel them toward his right hand. He is equally dangerous with both hands, though, as he focuses on having his hips in position to follow any straight rights with left hooks. So far, he’s shown the kind of elite footwork and head movement that is mostly seen in champions.
Two other things stand out about Choi: his hand speed and efficiency of motion. Several times in his UFC career, his opponents have started punches at the same time he has, but he gets there first. That’s because his body is almost always properly aligned, retaining maximum efficiency. He doesn’t need to wind up or to jump into punches, because he’s already in position to strike. Given the brevity of his fights, it’s impossible to know if he will retain that form over the long haul, but his focus on it is promising
Much of this is reminiscent of McGregor, who rode his own similar gifts to the top of the division in short order, but I’d argue that Choi is even more explosive because of his penchant to use more diverse techniques. That also puts him more at risk, but his offensive gifts are that good.
For Choi, Swanson is a great opponent, a veteran who also boasts dangerous power and creative combinations. It’s his reputation that Choi is hunting as he attempts to work his way up the rankings.
The scene atop the UFC featherweight division is pure chaos. McGregor was stripped of the division’s title belt—or relinquished it, if you believe UFC president Dana White's comments to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole (h/t MMAFighting.com). Jose Aldo was then promoted to undisputed champion, only for the UFC to immediately put that designation into dispute by promoting a matchup between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis as an interim championship bout.
While there’s no order to the chaos, there is opportunity. McGregor may still cast a shadow over the featherweights, but it will fade off in time. In his absence, attention is there to be seized, and the Korean Superboy is worth watching.
While he doesn’t boast the electric personality of The Notorious One—and who does, really?—he can go head-to-head with McGregor on their personal highlight reels. And if he can add Swanson to his highlight reel on Saturday night, Choi could be heading in the same direction as McGregor: straight to the top.