'Korean Superboy' Choi Du-ho to face Pitbull at UFC 331

A win would return Choi to the rankings for the first time in eight years; Yoo Ju-sang seeks second UFC victory against Atwell

Choi Du-ho (left) faces featherweight No. 15 Patricio Pitbull at UFC 331 on Sunday. Yoo Ju-sang (right) takes on Michael Atwell. [UFC]

"Korean Superboy" Choi Du-ho (35) is targeting a return to the UFC featherweight rankings. Standing in his way is No. 15-ranked Patricio Pitbull (39, Brazil), a former two-division Bellator champion.

Choi will face Pitbull on the main card of UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday (Korean Standard Time).

The bout represents Choi's first chance to re-enter the UFC rankings in more than eight years. Dropped from the official rankings in July 2018, he has gone unbeaten since his return in 2023, posting three wins and one draw. In May, he knocked out Daniel Santos by TKO and then called for a matchup with Pitbull.

Should Choi (17-1-4) defeat No. 15 Pitbull and break into the top 15, it would mark his return to the rankings after eight years and two months — the longest such gap for any fighter who remained continuously on the UFC roster, according to the UFC.

Pitbull is a veteran who held both the featherweight and lightweight titles in Bellator, compiling 24 wins there and going 15-0 in title fights. Since moving to the UFC last year, he has gone 1-2. His overall record stands at 37-9.

"I thought that to climb higher in my career, I needed to beat big names," Choi said, explaining why he sought the fight. "Beating a legend like Pitbull would work greatly in my favor."

Both fighters are known for their finishing ability, making the striking exchanges a key point of interest. "I'm the type who welcomes it when an opponent comes at me hard," Choi said. "If I trust my training and execute well inside the octagon, the result will be good."

Fellow Korean fighter Yoo Ju-sang (32) also appears on the undercard, taking on Michael Atwell Jr. (25, United States). Yoo suffered his first professional loss — a TKO defeat to Daniel Santos — last October, and now looks to pick up his second UFC win in his first fight back after 11 months away.

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van (left) rematches former champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331. [UFC]

In the main event, flyweight champion Joshua Van (24, Myanmar/United States) rematches former champion Alexandre Pantoja (36, Brazil) nine months after their first meeting. In that December bout, Pantoja suffered a TKO loss just 26 seconds in after injuring his elbow on a landing, handing Van the championship.

The UFC 331 undercard streams live on Tving from 8 a.m. Sunday, with the main card — featuring Choi — beginning at 10 a.m.

yjc@heraldcorp.com