UFC Fight Night 124 Preview
Reputations in the fight world can be made or broken in a single fight and Doo Ho Choi learned that quickly in 2016.
That was the year the Choi was put on the map of the UFC for the regular fans that don’t study fighters before they enter MMA’s biggest promotion.
Before his time in the UFC, Choi was a rising star in Japan’s DEEP promotion, but it wasn’t really until his fourth fight in the UFC that he really began to raise eyebrows.
That was the fight where Choi announced his arrival in the UFC and his arrival as one of the most exciting fighters in MMA.
Despite winning all of his fights in the UFC by KO or TKO nobody knew his name until he stepped into the octagon against Cub Swanson.
That fight in Toronto was one of the greatest fights in the history of the UFC and was named the Fight of the Year for 2016.
It was a three-round battle where both fighters seemed to be out on their feet at times only to come back with massive shots of their own.
It was a legendary fight and a fight that was massive for Choi despite the fact that he took the loss by unanimous decision.
The fight did big things for the Korean fighter but since that fight, Choi has yet to step back into the octagon.
He took the entire year off with some of it coming to recover from the fight itself and more of it for an injury suffered in preparation for a fight at UFC 214.
He makes an anticipated return to the octagon at UFC Fight Night 124 when he joins the main event with a more than willing dance partner.
There is no doubt that this main event spot came as a result of his fight with Swanson and his ability to put on a thrilling fight.
The recognition that he received from that fight has earned him the ability to fight in a main event even if it is a Fight Night card.
Now comes the most difficult part of his journey though as he has a lot to live up to with expectations sky-high.
If he doesn’t put on a thrilling fight after being away for an entire year his momentum will be all but gone in the division.
He needs that momentum in a big way as he has seen a year where some very good fighters have taken their chances and run with them.
By putting on a great performance and earning another knockout win he could make 2018 a big year for himself.
To do that he will need to beat one of the toughest fighters in the UFC in Jeremy Stephens who is plenty willing to stand with the Korean.
Stephens has done about everything there is to do in the UFC but has never fought for a title and his hoping to take some of the shine off of Choi to help him rise up.
He has his own reputation of standing and trading with some of the best fighters in the history of the UFC.
Choi could have a very bright future in this division that is ruled by one of the brightest young stars in the UFC.
If he can rise up and make some noise in the first fight of the new year, Choi can help his cause in trying to find a way to the title.
Stephens is looking for the same result and trying to show that Choi was good but not that good.
The veteran is hoping to prove that he has plenty left in the tank and that he belongs in the title conversation.
The fight itself is expected to be an instant classic only due to the tendency for both of these fighters to walk forward.
Neither likes to give an inch and neither is known for their ground game leaving both to stand and trade for five rounds.
That is the hope but often these fights turn out to be a very different type of fight because neither fighter wants to make a mistake.
Both fighters can knock anyone out in this division and when they face each other they know the power that they possess.
They might not want to make a mistake and get caught which can lead to a disappointing fight where technique rules over power.
Neither are known for that though and it could mean a very exciting fight that might help either launch a campaign towards the title in 2018.
The Sport Addiction 