Choi Doo-ho (; born April 10, 1991), often

anglicized Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

as Doo Ho Choi or Dooho Choi, also known as The Korean Superboy, is a South Korean professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who currently competes in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC).

Background

Choi graduated from Gumi University with a degree in Security.

Mixed martial arts career

DEEP

Choi started getting noticed in the MMA world after making his DEEP debut in June 2010, when he faced Yusuke Kagiyama. Choi lost his Deep debut via split decision. After a short stint on the independent circuit, Choi returned to DEEP in September 2010, facing Atsuhiro Tsuboi. He won by TKO in the first round. He went undefeated in his next fights in MMA, beating various fighters like Mitsuhiro Ishida, Kosuke Omeda, and Nobuhiro Obiya. Before being released to fight in the UFC, Choi fought for DEEP one last time, on June 15, 2013, when he faced Japanese prospect Shoji Maruyama. He won via TKO in the second round.

Sengoku Raiden Championship

While fighting for DEEP, Choi also signed with Sengoku Raiden Championship. He had his first fight at SRC: Sengoku Raiden Championship 13, when he faced Ikuo Usuda. Choi won via split decision. A few months later, Choi was slated to face

Masanori Kanehara Masanori Kanehara (born November 18, 1982) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing the Bantamweight division in DEEP and Rizin FF. A professional competitor since 2003, Kanehara has formerly competed for World Victory Road, K ...

at SRC: Sengoku Raiden Championship 15. However, three weeks before the event, Choi suffered an injury and the fight was taken off the card.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In November 2013, following a nine-fight winning streak, Choi signed a contract to fight with the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

to compete in their featherweight division. Choi was scheduled to face Sam Sicilia on May 24, 2014, at UFC 173. However, Choi pulled out of the bout with an injury. Choi ultimately made his debut when he faced Juan Puig on November 22, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 57. He won the fight via TKO just 18 seconds into the first round. A rescheduled bout with Sam Sicilia was expected to take place on July 15, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 71. However, Choi pulled out of the fight in late June for undisclosed reasons. The bout with Sicilia was scheduled a third time and took place on November 28, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 79. Choi won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win also earned him his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Choi next faced Thiago Tavares on July 8, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win earned him a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Choi faced

Cub Swanson Kevin Luke "Cub" Swanson (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2004, S ...

on December 10, 2016, at UFC 206. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. The fight was nominated for ''Fight of the year'' by the

World MMA Awards The World MMA Awards are awards presented by ''Fighters Only'' magazine to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of mixed martial arts. Winners are presented with the ''Fighters Only silver statuette''. The World MMA Awards are divided ...

and

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night.'' During UFC 273 broadcast in April 2022 it was announced that the fight will be inducted to the

UFC Hall of Fame The UFC Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities, established and maintained by the U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In a ...

Fight Wing class of 2022. Choi was briefly linked to a bout with Renan Barão which was expected to take place on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24. However, as the announcement of the pairing began to circulate, Choi declined the bout, and as a result, Barao is expected to be rescheduled against a different opponent, possibly at another event. Choi was expected to face Andre Fili on July 29, 2017 at

UFC 214 ''UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on July 29, 2017, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A PPV event was initially planned for Anaheim on Ja ...

. However, Choi pulled out of the fight on June 14 citing an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer

Calvin Kattar Calvin Kattar ( ; born March 26, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and owner of MMA promotion ''Combat Zone''. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Figh ...

. Choi next faced

Jeremy Stephens Jeremy Dean Stephens (born May 26, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist, Bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle boxer and professional boxer, who currently competes in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of the Ultimate Figh ...

on January 14, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night''. Choi faced Charles Jourdain on December 21, 2019 on UFC on ESPN+ 23. After knocking Jourdain down in the first round, Choi eventually lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' awards. Choi was scheduled to face Danny Chavez on July 31, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 28. However, Choi had to pull out of the bout due to injury. Returning after a three-year layoff, Choi faced Kyle Nelson on February 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 218. After a point deduction in the third round due to a headbutt, the fight ended in a majority draw. 9 out of 11 media outlets scored the fight as a win for Choi. Choi faced Bill Algeo on July 20, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 60. He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round. Choi faced Nate Landwehr on December 7, 2024 at

UFC 310 ''UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 7, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States. Backgroun ...

. He won the fight by technical knockout via ground punches and elbows in the third round.

Personal life

Choi married his wife in 2017 and divorced in 2021.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

( Fight Wing, Class of 2022) vs. ** Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Sam Sicilia and Thiago Tavares ** Fight of the Night (Three times) vs.

, and Charles Jourdain **Tied ( Dan Ige) for fifth most knockouts in UFC Featherweight division history (5) **UFC.com Awards ***2016:

Fight of the Year Fight of the Year is an award given to the boxing match considered to be the best fight that year. It is awarded by a variety of different institutions. It may refer to: * ''The Ring'' magazine Fight of the Year – awarded by ''The Ring'' magazi ...

vs.

**Fight of the Year (2016) vs.

at UFC 206 *

**Fight of the Year (2016) vs.

*MMADNA.nl **Fight of the Year (2016) vs.

Filmography

Television shows

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Doo-ho Living people 1991 births South Korean male mixed martial artists South Korean practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Gumi, North Gyeongsang Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Martial artists from North Gyeongsang Province 21st-century South Korean sportsmen