Doo Ho
Choi didn’t officially win his fight on Saturday, but he will
be compensated as if he did.
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Choi was on his way to earning his first victory since 2016 before
he received a point deduction for an illegal headbutt in the third
round of his
UFC Fight Night 218 clash with Kyle
Nelson.
Chris Tognoni made the ruling after Choi clashed heads with his
opponent while in top position. As a result of the foul, the
featherweight contest was ruled a majority draw thanks to a pair of
28-28 scorecards. The verdict would have gone Choi’s way without
the deduction.
UFC president Dana White did not agree with the call, even though
replay was consulted before the decision was made.
“I thought it was insane and it cost him the fight,” White said at
the UFC Fight Night 218 post-fight press conference. “I paid him
his win money. He won the fight, so I paid him.”
“The Korean Superboy” was making his first Octagon appearance since
December 2019. After winning his first three UFC bouts via
first-round KO/TKO, Choi is winless in his last four outings. Choi
wasn’t overwhelming in his return against Nelson, but White
believes was doing enough to deserve victory.
“It was a tough fight, but in my opinion, Choi won the fight, and
sometimes the refereeing or judging isn’t perfect,” he said. “So
sometimes I do what I can do, take it into my own hands. I felt
like that kid got robbed on that ridiculous call.”