One to Watch: Doo Ho Choi vs Thiago Tavares

Last night was fun, wasn't it? We have a new lightweight champion in Eddie Alvarez. Joe Duffy bounced back from a disappointing defeat to Dustin Poirier in emphatic fashion, submitting Canadian Mitch Clarke. Then there were the plethora of different submission wins throughout last night's fight card.

Coupled with the news of light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier accepting the challenge of UFC stalwart Anderson Silva, last night's fights were the perfect remedy for the lingering hangover caused by Jon Jones' positive drug test.

As always, the UFC show must go on—and it is doing just that with tonight's event for The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. Sandwiched between last night's show and the behemoth UFC 200 card, this event has been somewhat overlooked thanks to its billing as the TUF finale.

However, this TUF finale is different. Taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the main event will see UFC women's strawweight champion and TUF coach Joanna Jedrzejczyk take on long-time rival and opposite coach Claudia Gadelha for the 115lbs title, while the card is littered with other fascinating match-ups including Ross Pearson vs. Will Brooks and Jake Matthews vs. Kevin Lee. That's not even taking into account the fact there are two fights to determine the light heavyweight and women's strawweight winners of this season of The Ultimate Fighter.

The fight between "The Korean Superboy" Doo Ho Choi and Thiago Tavares is another stand-out pairing on the night. Powerful striker versus third-degree Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt. New breed versus old guard. This fight has all the hallmarks of being the spectacle deserving of featuring the UFC's much-vaunted international fight week.

Since signing for the UFC in November 2013, Choi has only fought twice in the Octagon and earned knockout wins of both his opponents so far. Boasting a record of 14-1, 11 of the Korean's wins have come by way of knockout at an impressive 77 percent rate. Despite his limited time in the UFC cage, needing less than two minutes to win his last two fights, Choi has shone in both of his bouts and will be making the big step up in competition his potential requires against UFC veteran Tavares.

Tavares revitalized his UFC career by making the cut down from lightweight's 155lbs weight limit down to featherweight, coming off a big-name win over Clay Guida. A win over Guida would usually warrant a fight against the upper echelons of the featherweight division. Instead, Tavares finds himself back fulfilling the gatekeeper role he assumed as a lightweight.

The Brazilian has more fights in the UFC (17) than Choi has had in his whole career with a record of 10-6 with one draw to his credit. Tavares is also coming fresh off a three-fight stretch which has seen him pick up "Fight Night" bonuses, so you could see why he would be a tad taken aback from not having the big-name opponent his brief featherweight venture should garner.

Speaking to MMAjunkie, Tavares said: "I don't choose opponents, but I like big names. I was the one who asked for the Khabib (Nurmagumedov) fight, and got my ass kicked. Then I asked for Clay Guida—finished him. They can be dangerous. I don't mind that. But I like famous names who will lead me places.

"I admit (Choi) is not someone I wanted to face. Not to underestimate him, but I'd like to fight someone like Cub Swanson, or maybe a top-five guy that could take me somewhere. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, but it is what it is. I'll do my job, try my best to hit him the face and maybe then ask for someone higher up."

Choi does command the respect of Tavares, though. "I don't even know how to pronounce his name yet, but he's very good," said Tavares. "He only has two UFC fights, but the two were knockouts. He has a lot of knockout power, which concerns me. He also has good jiu jitsu, but Brazilian jiu jitsu is different. So let's get him to the ground and do our homework to bring home another win."

Having competed in East Asian fight promotions DEEP and Sengoku—as well as riding a seven-fight run of consecutive knockout victories—big name or not, Choi should command the respect of everyone on the UFC's featherweight roster—even battle-hardened competitors like Tavares.

But, as you would expect with 17 UFC fights under your belt, Tavares has fought many top fighters the UFC had to offer. These include Tyson Griffin, Michihiro Omigawa, Matt Wiman, Manny Gamuryan, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Sam Stout.

Tavares will be seeking to put an end to the hype surrounding arguably the most promising young talent to come from the Asian market in years. But, Choi will have other ideas and will prove a stern test for anyone in the division.

Fights rarely feature two competitors at the opposite ends of the spectrum. It's a classic styles clash between a feared striker and top-level submission artist. It's a contest which pits youthful exuberance against wily experience. It's a bout between a highly-touted prospect against one of the longest-established UFC fighters on its roster. It's a fight you simply need to watch tonight.