Choi took the featherweight division by storm upon his 2014 UFC
debut, thanks to the eye-catching combination of his extremely
youthful look and his propensity for extreme violence. Heading into
his 2016 bout against Cub Swanson,
Choi had racked up three knockout wins in less than five minutes
combined. That Swanson bout figured to be Choi’s steppingstone into
contention. While Choi came out on the losing end, both men’s stock
went up from the ensuing three-round war, which immediately went on
the short list of best fights of all-time. Unfortunately, Choi’s
career has not rebounded as expected. For one thing, a combination
of injuries, the pandemic and his mandatory military service have
limited him to only two fights in the ensuing six-plus years.
Additionally, Choi has lost both of those fights, with his
counter-heavy striking style leaving him open for knockouts against
Jeremy
Stephens and Charles
Jourdain. There is no shame in either of those results,
particularly with Jourdain going on to prove himself as an
effective fighter, but Choi’s career is badly in need of some
momentum as he returns from a three-year layoff. Nelson is going
through his own struggles as he looks for his first win since 2019,
and there is a similar sense that Nelson can rise through the ranks
if he can get things to fully click. Nelson has all the tools to
live up to his “Monster” nickname as a powerful striker and
wrestler with some impressive size—particularly as he cuts back
down to featherweight—but he has been undone by a clear mental
block, as he fades badly down the stretch against opponents who are
unwilling to go away. This is essentially a tale of two fights, as
Nelson figures to cause plenty of issues for Choi early thanks to
his hot starts, especially with “The Korean Superboy” having a
patient style and needing to shake off a few years of rust.
However, if Choi survives the early going, he should be able to
pour on the damage and find a late finish. This is a coinflip, but
the pick is Choi via second-round knockout.
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