Featherweight action heroes go at it for what should be an
entertaining scrap. It has now been nearly a decade since Choi was
one of the UFC’s top prospects. Starting with the promotion in
2014, “The Korean Superboy” spent the next two years running up the
ranks with a string of first-round knockouts, becoming a cult
favorite thanks to the contrast between his boyish looks and
violent fighting style. Choi was matched with Cub Swanson
in December 2016—a pairing that figured to be a potential launching
pad to bigger things for the Korean dynamo. It did result in the
most memorable bout of Choi’s career, as it was one of the best
fights of the year and has kept its reputation as an all-timer of a
war in the time since. Choi lost the decision but the result didn’t
lower his stock much, and the thought was that he would rebound in
short order and chug along from there. Instead, Choi wound up going
eight years in between wins. Injuries and Choi’s mandatory military
service explain much of that gap, but his next handful of
performances were also quite frustrating. His approach had been
built around powerful counterstriking and leaning on his durability
as needed, but that just led him into knockouts against Jeremy
Stephens and Charles
Jourdain. Choi returned three and a half years after the loss
to Jourdain to take Kyle Nelson
to a draw, which was somewhat of a positive step. Choi didn’t look
nearly as dynamic as he had in the past but showed a much more
well-rounded skill set that could pay off down the line. It
eventually did in a much sharper performance against Bill Algeo in
July—a knockout win that marked Choi’s first since 2016. He needs
to brace himself for war against Landwehr, however, as “The Train”
has lived up to the reputation for action that he brought ahead of
his UFC debut in 2020.
Landwehr made his name on the Russian scene as someone willing to
survive and outlast opponents who tried to slow him down. While his
first few fights back stateside were quite exciting, that wasn’t
always in his favor, as he charged his way into quick knockouts
against Herbert
Burns and Julian
Erosa in two of his first three trips to the Octagon. Landwehr
eventually found his way to consistent success, and a 2022 war
against David Onama
that saw both men pour out their gas tanks appears to have made him
a made man, with prominent card placement and fan favorite status
coming in his outings since. To his credit, while Landwehr is still
a madman when the situation calls for it, he has learned how to
balance his aggression in his last handful of fights, which still
resulted in an entertaining knockout of Jamall
Emmers in March. That should pay off here in what shapes up as
another exciting fight. Choi should have the opportunity to land
some hard shots, but Landwehr now seems mindful enough not to get
knocked out and looks to be the fighter with the better second gear
once it starts to escalate. The pick is Landwehr via decision.
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