An intriguing featherweight matchup between hard-hitting Sam Sicilia and South Korean super-prospect Doo Ho Choi now seems like it might be back on the UFC docket, months after the original date was scuttled because of a Choi injury.
The news was first reported by the English-language Asia MMA site, citing a conversation with Choi himself.
The bout is now apparently being targeted for UFC Fight Night 71 on July 15. The event is set to take place in San Diego, California, with a scheduled main event between heavyweights Frank Mir and Todd Duffee.
Choi Doo-Ho to meet Sam Sicilia at UFC Fight Night 71 on July 15th http://t.co/LjqsHmfkYF pic.twitter.com/LHxsQUckhv
— ASIA MMA .COM (@MMAinASIAdotcom) May 6, 2015
Fans know Sicilia (14-5) from his time as a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter 15 and an exciting, if inconsistent, UFC career post-reality show. Packing one-punch knockout power in his featherweight frame, Sicilia stalks his opponents and seeks to force a reckoning of who the better man is that night.
Most recently, that man was Sicilia, who knocked out Akira Corassani in Round 1 in Sweden. Corassani took the knockout hard enough that he retired immediately after. For Sicilia, it was his fifth consecutive bout that alternated a win after a preceding loss.
But the real draw in this match, at least for hardcore fans and prospect junkies, was The Korean Super Boy. The 24-year-old Korean (12-1) turned heads on the Asian circuits for creative striking and intense knockout power. In his UFC debut last November, Choi notched his sixth consecutive knockout win when he put away Juan Manuel Puig.
The announcement of Sicilia vs. Choi at last May’s UFC 173 was met with approval. But as is so often the case, disappointment soon followed when an injury forced Choi out of the contest. He was replaced by Aaron Phillips, who lost to Sicilia.
Assuming the two fighters stay healthy this time, this will be a great addition to the card. Both men are popular, especially The Korean Super Boy, who some think could be the latest savior of MMA in the Far East. If that’s the case, he’ll need to win against a grizzled veteran in Sicilia. With both men packing so much power in their fists, the style of the fight is not a mystery. Someone is, in all likelihood, going down.
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