LOS ANGELES – The last time Dooho Choi held an official UFC microphone, he was asking for a fight vs. Patricio Freire. This time, he was talking about receiving it.
At UFC 331 on Saturday, Choi (17-4-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) and Freire (37-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) square off smack dab in the middle of the main card at Crypto.com Arena. The event streams on Paramount+. While callouts seldom materialize, Choi is elated this time his did.
"I take it as the UFC as believing in me and recognizing me," Choi told MMA Junkie and other reporters through a Korean-language interpreter during a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. "I'm very excited to fight a legend like 'Pitbull.' I'm happy the matchup came true. ... I've always fought who the UFC put in front of me. But
also the 'Pitbull' callout when Daniel Cormier asked me who I want to fight. That's why I wanted to put 'Pitbull's' name out there."
Freire is considered by many as the greatest fighter in Bellator history, but hasn't been able to string together consistent success in his relatively short UFC tenure. So why the callout? Why "Pitbull"?
"I thought there were a lot of advantages to beating a big name like 'Pitbull' and I thought that would be advantageous for my career," Choi said. "... I can't say I was a fan necessarily. I was active in the UFC (when he was in Bellator) and I took notice of his fights. I can say his fights gave me inspiration."
Choi, 35, is a big of a performance bonus machine. Over the span of his 10-fight UFC tenure, Choi has earned six bonuses, including his first $100,000 Fight of the Night bonus in May when he took out Daniel Santos. With Dana White recently announcing an additional $50,000 "proper chaos" bonus on the line for Saturday's event, Choi thinks extra cash could find its way into his bank account once again.
"I don't know what his approach is going to be for the fight," Choi said. "I don't know how he's going to be, but I'm the type that welcomes the fight. So if he brings it, I'm going to welcome it. ... I don't chase the bonuses. But if you look at my past fights, I've won a lot of bonuses. I don't chase them, but I'm pretty confident I can get this one as well."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Asked and received: Dooho Choi happy UFC callout of 'Pitbull' materialized
