- Hello, say an introduction to the MMA community.
▲ Hello, my name is Choi Doo Ho and I fight out of Gumi MMA in Korea. I do both stand up fighting(boxing/kickboxing) and MMA.
- You got injured and could not fight Masanori Kanehara. Talk to us about that.
▲ I was so disappointed, but I had injured my hip and there was no possible way I could take that fight. I really wanted to fight him and I was also really confident I would beat him. It was also sad to hear that the Japanese MMA scene was dying out over there. I really wanted to stack some wins in the SRC organization.
- How were you going to fight Kanehara?
▲ He's a bit of a wrestler, so I was going to stand with him. Of course, I was working on my ground game too. He's not an easy opponent, but at the same time not an opponent I can't topple.
- Congratulations on Knocking out Mitsuhiro Ishida
▲Thanks, I'm glad that fight worked out well.
- How was training for that fight?
▲To be honest, I severely injured my back before that fight. I literally could not walk. I only took the fight because CMA Boss told me , "it's ok to lose just show your skills", and I also felt so bad for previously dropping out of fights because of injuries. I basically did no training and went to Japan a week before the fight. All I did was go running with a sweat suit. But after the CMA boss told me that, I regained my confidence, because I knew I could beat Ishida.
- You missed weight?
▲ I had to lose 11.2 KG in one week because I basically did not train at all. It it was the usual situation; I would have made weight easily. It's hard to lose that much weight just running. Ishida made weight in an hour, while I was up till seven losing weight. But I was still 2KG over.
- Was this not hard on your body?
▲It was seriously the worst of the worst situation. I also caught a cold at night and to regain weight I ate too fast and had digestive problems.
- 2 points were taken off because of the weight infraction. How did you feel going to the ring?
▲ I was worried at first , but after thinking a bit I realized I was not going to lose anyway. Whatever condition my body was, I just need to show my skills. Honestly, with those point deductions it was almost impossible to win a decision. I was just going to enjoy myself. I knew because of my injury and condition I needed to finish in the first round.
- Did you not think TDD would be difficult with the injury?
▲Yeah and Ishida has great TD, so my plan was to work my guard game. But once we actually felt each other, I sensed I could defend his takedowns.
- What was the turning point in the fight?
▲ After I defend his second take down, and hit him with a hard right. I could see in his eyes he was hurt.
- The timing of the Knee was beautiful.Did you plan this?
▲ I saw every time I threw the straight, he was wobbled a bit. And I knew from watching tape, Ishida always goes for a takedown after being hurt. I could have followed up with punches after I wobbled him, but I waited for his takedown. Right when I saw the movement, I blasted him with a knee.
- Was that a flying knee?
▲No, not really, it just seemed like it because I put all my force into it. A guy like Ishida has the ability to take hits and still get take downs, so I knew I had to put full power in that knee. So that's why I threw it so hard.
- How did you feel when Ishida fell to the ground?
▲ I knew he was already out from the knee. But there is always the chance, he clings to my leg and gets a takedown, so I followed up with strong ground and pound. Basically after that, Ishida was gone.
- I heard you trained with Chan Sung Jung?
▲ I trained striking and ground, his best skill is his aggression and submission catching ability.
- You have now earned the right to be arguably called Korea's Number one FW.
▲ Well I am young and I have a lot of seniors. I would not really call myself that yet. I am just lucky. But I am confident if given the chance, I can beat anyone in the world.
- Have you seen Chan Sung Jung's KO of Mark Hominick?
▲ I heard the news in Japan actually. All I could think was, that guy is awesome. And actually when I was about to fight, I got a text from him."Your Senior brother just caused an incident/accident, so you cause one too". It made me think,"Korean Zombie just KOd Hominick in 7 seconds, why can't I take Ishida out in one round".
- You may get the DEEP FW championship shot. What do you think of current holder Kazunori Yokota?
▲ Well he is a striker, so I am very confident I will beat him. Actually I think I will KO him just like my senior, Seung Hwan Bang, did. Yokota actually commentated as a commentator when I fought Ishida, that "If it was me, I would have beat him". Well the only for sure thing is that for me, he is a much much easier opponent than Ishida.
- It seems you are close to signing with the UFC. What is your schedule?
▲ It does not seem like a reality as of now. I want to be DEEP champion first. I want to beat all of the strongest Japanese fighters first. I actually want Hiroyuki Takaya right now.
- Tell us about your boxing/kickboxing experience?
▲ It always helps your MMA game to do striking competition. It really improves your stand up when you do pure boxing/kickboxing. There is a drastic difference in the way pure standup guys punch in combination compared to MMA guys. I am so confident in my striking because of this.
- But you started out as a BJJ guy?
▲Yes and I love BJJ, but I am more confident in my striking. I am always working on my ground game. I work at Team Posse for that aspect of my game. The grappling there is so strong, especially the wrestling because of guys like Kwon Bae Young, Nam Yui Chul, and Lee Jae Sun.
- I heard rumors you used to fight a lot in your school boy days.
▲ I always loved sports. And I have never backed down from a fight in my life. And I guess you get into a lot of fights with that mindset(haha). I was kind of a Pride FC super fan. I was almost obsessed.
I remember when I first stared BJJ. I just fell in love. It started as a hobby but I knew I wanted to go pro one day.
- What do you think of your senior, Dong Hyun Kim?
▲ What a lot of casual fans don't understand is that his ground game is on a completely different level in the Korean MMA community. I have worked with him a lot, he is a monster at grappling. Not only is he huge, his technical grappling is amazing. When we spar I just get dominated and just stay awed at his skill.
- Who is your favorite fighter in the UFC ?
▲Without a doubt, Mauricio Shogun Rua. He lost to Jon Jones, but Jones is a serious prodigy with so much natural talent. And Shogun's condition was off and did not look right. I always cheer Shogun..
I want to fight just like his style. Never fear the standup and go for the kill. I love how he doesn't pace himself and just tries to finish. Most fighters are conservative because of gassing issues, but Shogun never seems to care.
-Who do you want to fight in the UFC first?
▲ Leonard Garcia. His aggressive stand up style is perfect for me. I am extremely confident it would end in a beautiful finish.
- What do you think of Jose Aldo?
▲ He is amazing. To beat him you have to be top level at everything. But I still would fight him right now. Of course I could lose, but I would stand with him. My target is whoever is on top.
- You are 20 years old. The Korean Army will call for you soon.
▲ I always worry about that. But I plan on doing my thing until then. I will stall and stall until I am dragged in(haha). I will just keep on fighting until that day comes.
- Last words?
▲ Thank you to all the fans for all the compliments recently. I hope I can repay the kindness and faith with my future performances. By next year, I guarantee I will be champ. Thank you to CMA and just want to say, I love you coach Lee Chang Sup.
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