Doo Ho Choi didn’t officially win his fight on Saturday, but he will be compensated as if he did.
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.”
More must-reads: