Doo Ho Choi vs. Daniel Santos prediction, odds, pick for UFC Vegas 117

The UFC Vegas 117 Fundamental Card continues to roll with one other prediction and pick for this upcoming bout within the Featherweight (145) Division. South Korea’s Doo Ho Choi will tackle Brazil’s Daniel Santos in considered one of the more exciting matchups of the fight card. Check our UFC odds series for the Choi-Santos prediction and pick.

Doo Ho Choi (16-4-1) is 5-3-1 contained in the UFC since 2014. He’s won his last two bouts coming in following a “Draw” against Kyle Nelson, seeking to bounce back from a knee injury that kept him out of this bout last time against Santos. Choi stands 5-foot-10 with a 70-inch reach.

Daniel Santos (13-2) has gone 4-1 contained in the UFC since 2022. After dropping his debut fight against Julio Arce, Santos has gone on to an ideal four-fight winning streak since then. He comes into this fight the slight betting favorite seeking to extend the longest streak of his UFC run, standing 5-foot-7 with a 67-inch reach.

UFC Vegas 117 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings. 

UFC Vegas 117 Odds: Doo Ho Choi-Daniel Santos Odds

Doo Ho Choi: +136

Daniel Santos: -162

Over 2.5 rounds: +105

Under 2.5 rounds: -125

Why Doo Ho Choi Will Win

• Last Fight: (W) Nate Landwehr – TKO (elbows, R3)
• Last 5: 2-2-1
• Finishes: 13 KO/TKO, 1 SUB

Doo Ho Choi will make his return to motion following a lengthy injury stint and fighting the identical opponent he was slated to fight in September 2025. The knee injury has kept him out until now, but all indications point towards a healthy Choi seeking to mark his third-straight win. He also knocked out each of his last two opponents in Landwehr and Bill Algeo, so expect him to have that momentum in his favor on Saturday.

Knee injuries are nothing to take evenly in a sport like MMA and for Choi, a temporary portion of this fight might be focused on him regaining his confidence once more. He has a particularly versatile striking arsenal and hits the mark with 56% accuracy. Choi can be defensively sound with 56% striking defense and lands 53% of his takedowns on opponents. He’s well-rounded wherever the fight may happen, but Choi will definitely be seeking to stand and strike with Santos.

So long as he’s able to resist the early storm, Choi must have a solid advantage in the course of the latter half of this fight if he’s in a position to settle right into a consistent striking groove. He’s been in all-out wars like his classic fight against Cub Swanson and has all the time been known for his durability, so expect Choi to offer full effort at a high pace for all quarter-hour of this one.

Why Daniel Santos Will Win

• Last Fight: (W) Joo Sang Yoo – TKO (left hook, R2)
• Last 5: 4-1
• Finishes: 6 KO/TKO, 2 SUB

Daniel Santos is currently on the longest streak of his UFC tenure, winning four-straight fights (2 KO, 2 DEC) over the likes of John Castaneda, Johnny Munoz Jr., Jeong Yeong Lee, and most recently Joo Sang Yoo. He hit Yoo with a hellacious left hook to drop him and wasted no time securing the finish, seeking to be on the prime of his abilities at 31 years old. He is available in the rightful betting favorite on a hot streak as his opponent might be coming in off an injury layoff, all of the momentum on Santos’ side.

Santos is fearless in the best way he closes the gap, holding little regard for his own safety with a view to get mixtures off on his opponent. He’s lively together with his low leg kicks and can snap a high kick every every so often, but he’s much more favorable towards his knees up the center and elbows from all different angles. Santos, very like Choi, has an incredible chin and is not afriad to check it during a back-and-forth war.

Daniel Santos should persist with exactly what he’s been doing during this winning streak as he’ll be way more attuned to setting the pace of the fight and fighting Choi on his terms. Expect Santos to be aggressive early as he establishes ring control and provides Choi a rude awakening back to motion following the cancellation of their last fight.

Final Doo Ho Choi-Daniel Santos Prediction & Pick

This matchup should make for considered one of the higher matchups of the night as Daniel Santos looks to increase his winning streak to 5 fights. It’ll be interesting to see how Choi looks following the knee injury, but he should shrug it off relatively quickly and return to his typical pace and fighting style.

Santos, then again, has been very lively and hasn’t lost since his debut fight. He’s been particularly aggressive in chasing finishes and will stun Choi early considering he could experience some ring rust.

I expect this to be a razor-thin fight and it would not surprise me if this one led to a draw as well. Still, we’ve to side with the activity of Daniel Santos to hold him to a win on the scorecards.

Final Doo Ho Choi-Daniel Santos Prediction & Pick: Daniel Santos (-162); OVER 2.5 Rounds (+105)