UFC Pick: Doo Ho Choi to Win (-180) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
We return for our weekly dose of UFC hot prospect selection best bets. This week we’re heading to the Apex for UFC Vegas 68, and we’re banking on a Korean sharpshooter to cash our tickets.
Doo Ho Choi was regarded as one of Korea’s brightest prospects when joining the UFC in 2014. And for the most part — he lived up to the hype — riding a 3-fight win streak with three consecutive knockouts.
A recent downtrend has put him on the back burner, but stylistically, he should be the superior fighter on Saturday night.
Read on for our complete UFC Vegas 68 betting guide, taking a first look at the hottest prospect of the week, Doo Ho Choi, and his opponent, Kyle Nelson.
Our preview also includes the latest UFC odds and UFC picks including our free expert UFC best bet of the week.
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Doo Ho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson
UFC Vegas 68 Featherweight Bout
Saturday, February 4, 2023 – 10:00 PM EST at the UFC APEX
UFC Vegas 68 Hot Prospect Profile
Doo Ho Choi
- Pro MMA Record: 14-4-0 (11 KOs, 1 submission, 2 decisions)
- UFC Record: 3-3 (3 KO/TKOs)
It took Doo Ho Choi 18 seconds to put his name on the map back in 2014. Aged just 23 years old at the time, watching him win effortlessly via TKO in his UFC debut instantly delivered a prospect we had to keep an eye on.
Choi fought through the regional scenes and was riding a nine-fight win streak before the UFC snapped him up. His fortunes would continue when he stopped Juan Manuel Puig, Sam Sicilia, and Thiago Tavares via strikes in the first round.
The hype was real, but a drastic push up the division provided a career decline for Korea’s bidding superstar.
Choi faced former title contender Cub Swanson with his 3-fight consecutive first-round KO/TKO streak. And although it was a fight for the ages, “The Korean Superboy” was taken into the deep waters of the third round and lost via unanimous decision.
Another former title contender, Jeremy Stephens, followed, as the power of the American proved too much, and a round two knockout loss extended the downfall of Choi. This exact outcome was repeated once again by Charles Jourdain as the hype on Choi faded.
Three years away from the octagon, the Superboy is now a man. Choi, 31, could be entering the prime fighting years of his career.
He owns the power to knock many featherweights on their butt, and we shouldn’t count him out versus a lower level of competition.
UFC Vegas 68: Doo Ho Choi Fight Analysis
In all areas of the fight game, Choi is talented. There’s no denying his takedown defense and striking offense.
And with a significant layoff, we could witness a refreshed version of “The Korean Superboy.”
Many would suggest Choi has a durability problem, but if you watch the previous two fights he’s lost via KO/TKO, his defensive IQ has been the issue. He can undoubtedly fix these mistakes, and with a more relaxed approach, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Doo Ho Choi version 2.0 make an impact.
He trains with the Korean Zombie and an excellent team of experienced fighters, another factor that will assist him in fixing the issues that put him on a losing streak.
Furthermore, the Stephens and Jourdain contests were going in his favor until overconfidence went against him.
Doo Ho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson Betting Pick & Odds
Kyle Nelson (13-5-0) is an average fighter, but he doesn’t possess any skills that truly shine. He’s shown durability and toughness, but regarding skill for skill on paper, Choi outclasses him.
The UFC Vegas 68 current betting odds at Bookmaker's Review favor Choi, but the odds are still respectable at (-180).
Ring rust and jitters are the only red flags I’m seeing, but this isn’t enough to doubt the sniper-like striking offense of a former hype train that could’ve arguably been derailed due to the quick rise in competition level.
Nelson isn’t a top-tier fighter, and it feels like the UFC wants their former prospect to get back in the win column by gifting him the easiest fight possible.
UFC Pick: Doo Ho Choi to Win (-180) [1.80u returns 1u] at BetOnline
UFC Vegas 68 Main Card & Odds
- Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac [UFC heavyweight main event bout]
- Da Un Jong vs. Devin Clark [UFC co-main light heavyweight bout]
- Marcin Tybura vs. Blagoy Ivanov [UFC heavyweight bout]
- Doo Ho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson [UFC lightweight bout]
- Yusaku Kinoshita vs. Adam Fugitt [UFC welterweight bout]
UFC Vegas 68 Preliminary Card & Odds
- Jeka Saragih vs. Anshul Jubli [UFC lightweight bout]
- JeongYeong Lee vs. Zha Yi [UFC featherweight bout]
- Toshiomi Kazama vs. Rinya Nakamura [UFC bantamweight bout]
- SeungGuk Choi vs. HyunSung Park [UFC flyweight bout]
- Ji Yeon Kim vs. Mandy Bohm [UFC women’s flyweight bout]
- Junyong Park vs. Denis Tiuliulin [UFC middleweight bout]
- Tatsuro Taira vs. Jesus Aguilar [UFC flyweight bout]
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
