Choi Seung-woo preparing MMA return after 1 year, 7 months away; no fight booked

Choi Seung-woo is back in the gym, and he says it is for a reason: to compete. In a video on coach Ha Dong-ho's YouTube channel, the 33-year-old known as "Sting" confirmed he is preparing for a fight after 1 year and 7 months away. After pad work with Ha, he said he needs to rebuild his feel.

What is still missing is everything that makes it a booking. There is no date and no opponent. According to Rank5, ZFN 05 on Dec. 19 could be the stage, but neither ZFN nor Choi's camp has confirmed it. ZFN is the promotion led by Chung Chan-sung, and ZFN 05 is its fifth numbered event, planned for a larger Seoul-area arena than the earlier ones. Rank5 also notes that Ham Seo-hee's return is already confirmed for the card, and that it is drawing attention as a showcase for UFC veterans.

A fight in Korea would be his first there in about seven years. Before the UFC, Choi was a Muay Thai national team member and a two-time TFC featherweight champion. He joined the UFC in 2019 and beat Sumudaerji, Yusef Jalal, Julian Erosa and Jarno Errens in the Octagon, with the 2021 punch finish of Erosa giving him three straight wins and ranking hopes.

Then the run turned. He lost by first-round TKO to Steve Garcia in July 2024, then to Kevin Vallejos by first-round punches in March last year, and his UFC deal ended there. He left with a 4-7 UFC mark and an 11-8 overall record. Vallejos, for context, is now booked against Aljamain Sterling at UFC Qatar on Nov 21.

Choi described those last fights as a time with no room to breathe: "I think I lived every day thinking intensely. No room to relax." Now he says he expects to enjoy this one. Watch for an official ZFN announcement, which would settle both the date and the opponent.