There will be a strong Asian presence at UFC Vegas 68. The card was originally scheduled to take place in Seoul and several of the fights which were scheduled for that event have been moved to Las Vegas.
Among then is the flyweight fight pitting Tatsuro Taira against Jesus Aguilar. Having originally been booked for Seoul this will now take place in Las Vegas on February 4th.
Taira (12-0) is one of the fastest rising stars on the roster. At UFC Vegas 62 he submitted C.J. Vergara in the second round to make it two wins out of two inside the octagon, earning a $50,000 USD performance bonus in the process.
Aguilar (8-1) will be making his UFC debut but comes into the contest on the back of an eight fight winning streak. He submitted Erisson Ferreira at Dana White’s Contender Series to earn his spot on the roster.
What an armbar by @TatsuroTaira 💪 #UFCVegas62
pic.twitter.com/ws43EhKXdb— UFC (@ufc) October 15, 2022
Long break
Meanwhile Doo Ho Choi will be returning after a two year absence. The Korean featherweight has not fought since 2019 but will be back in action at UFC Vegas 68.
He was once one of the fastest rising stars in the sport and won his first three UFC fights with devastating first round stoppages. But Choi is coming off three straight losses, although he did earn a $50,000 USD performance bonus for his efforts on each occasion.
Choi (14-4) has seen his career badly interrupted by injury and was also forced to sit on the sidelines while he resolved issues surrounding his compulsory military service in Korea. His last victory came all the way back in 2016.
At UFC Seoul he has been matched with Kyle Nelson (13-5). With four losses from his five UFC fights the Canadian will surely be fighting for his promotional future on February 4th.
One of the greatest three rounders of all-time! #OnThisDay – @CubSwanson and Doo Ho Choi gave us an instant classic 😤 pic.twitter.com/DZGjWAaIPA
— UFC (@ufc) December 10, 2020
Unfortunate injury
Last week it was officially confirmed that there would not be a UFC event in Seoul on February 4th. The cancellation did not come as a major surprise in the wake of the Korean Zombie’s shoulder injury.
What is less clear is what will happen to the current fight card. UFC Vegas 68 will now be taking place at the Apex Centre on the same date and will be headlined by a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivac.
That bout had originally been scheduled for UFC Vegas 65 but Lewis (26-10-0-1) fell ill during the event and pulled out. Spivak (15-3) will be going for a third straight stoppage win.
Tonight’s Derrick Lewis x Sergei Spivac main event has been canceled – mid-event – due to a “medical issue” with Lewis, per the broadcast.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 19, 2022
Not confirmed
An entire fight card for the Seoul event has been leaked by the fighters or their teams although not one of the bouts has been officially confirmed by the promotion. However it is an open secret that the UFC was planning to hold an event at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena on February 4th.
Seven Korean fighters had bouts booked for February 4th. Ji Yeon Kim, Jun Yong Park, Hyun Sung Park and Jeong Young Lee face an anxious wait to see whether they will still be competing on this date.
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New date
The strawweight fight between Loma Lookboonmee and Elise Reed will no longer be on this card. It has been moved to UFC 284 the following weekend.
It remains to be seen whether the Road to UFC finals, which had been penciled in for the card in Seoul, will be switched to Las Vegas or moved to a different date.
UFC Vegas 68, Las Vegas, February 4th
Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac (Heavyweight)
Doo Ho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson (Featherweight)
Tatsuro Taira vs. Jesus Aguilar (Flyweight)
Jun Yong Park vs. Denis Tiuliulin (Middleweight)
