Why Did Doo Ho Choi Get Exempted From Military Service? Layoff From UFC Explained

UFC 310 is right around the corner and the spotlight is prominently right on top of Doo Ho Choi. ‘The Korean Superboy’s fight records are crystal clear to us with 15 wins and 4 losses with 12 of his wins coming via knockout. However since he is from South Korea, what about his military service?

Will that cause a full stop in his MMA career for a while? He is 33 years old so did he already serve his country’s military?

Was Doo Ho Choi forced to serve mandatory military service?

In August of 2013,  ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung appeared to be one of the most promising featherweight fighters in the combat sports world. He had 3 wins in his first UFC bouts and was given a title shot against Jose Aldo. He was unfortunately finished in the 4th round. But he had become one of the most sought-after fighters since then. Hold on because we have to remember that he is from South Korea.

As his mandatory military service period arrived, he was not seen in the MMA world for 2 years. Everyone who is even a little bit obsessed with Korean entertainment knows that their favorite singers and actors must go to mandatory military service between the ages of 18 and 35. This applies to all South Korean men in the country. Similarly, even a fighter from the country has to abide by the law.

‘The Korean Superboy’, also has the same responsibilities on his shoulders unless the government exempts him. While speaking to TheMacLife.com in 2016 via his interpreter, he had talked about this prospect with apprehension. “I try not to think about it so much”, he said. I’ve got about three years to play around. I may go to the military in three years but if I get to go then I know I can continue training within the military base, so I’m going to do that.”

Luckily many athletes from the country have been exempted from military service if they had outstanding performance in their field. Another interesting way to be exempted from the front lines is if the candidate is severely injured or has had surgery. This was the case for Suga aka Min Yoongi who is from the world-famous band BTS. He had shoulder surgery so he was not allowed to go into the front lines but he did have to work as a civil servant officer.

In Doo Ho Choi’s case, he was injured and tore his ACL before his fight against Charles Jourdain in Busan. According to Asian MMA, he spoke about this injury and how it became a boon in disguise.  He said, “I am exempted from mandatory military service. It is complicated but if you are injured the government gives you the option to work in an office but a lot of people are on the waiting list because there are a lot of people who are hurt or injured or sick. If you are on the waiting list for more than four years you are automatically exempted.”

Having already spent four years on the waiting list his national service obligations are officially over. Choi can focus on his MMA ambitions without having to worry about where the fight cards are taking place. Surprisingly, not only South Korean athletes in UFC serve in the military but there are many other veteran UFC fighters who have been soldiers before.

Other UFC fighters who have served in the military 

The world of MMA is pretty similar to the world of armed forces if you think about it. The significance of honor, courage, resilience, physical strength, and lightning-fast reflexes are mandatory checkboxes. The core values are the same and it takes a lot of mental and physical grit to survive on the battlefield as well as the Octagon.

So if a fighter has both military experience and MMA caliber, you can imagine how dangerous and tough they would be. Some of the best headlining fighters in the promotion have been in the military and fought for their country.

One of those fighters is Neil ‘The Haitian Sensation‘ Magny who just fought Carlos Prates in UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates in November 2024. He is one of the most disciplined MMA fighters to grace the octagon. He had an undefeated streak of 6 fights at the start of his career in 2010. His discipline in training and fighting as well as diet comes from his experience as a light-wheeled mechanic in the Illinois National Guard.

He was also deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and the National Guard was where he learned hand-to-hand combat. Another well-known fighter is Brandon Vera who served in the Air Force but was medically discharged in 1999. Even Benoit Saint-Denis was in the army; The God of War was born to a French Army Officer and later joined the French Army. During his days in the military, he fought several overseas terrorist groups including the notorious Boko Haram from Nigeria, and a mission to reclaim an airport in Timbuktu, Mali.

Did you know about the mandatory military service in South Korea? Share your thoughts in the comments below.