Vietnamese MMA faces historic opportunity

This afternoon (August 22), LION Championship champion Nghiem Van Y will compete in the Road To UFC 2025 semi-finals, aiming to win a UFC ticket.

After defeating Japanese fighter Rui Imura in the bantamweight (60.75kg) quarter-finals at the end of May, Vietnamese representative Nghiem Van Y continues to face a bigger challenge in the Road To UFC 2025 semi-finals against New Zealand representative Lawrence Lui.

The match between Nghiem Van Y and Lawrence Lui will take place at 5:00 p.m. on August 22, Vietnam time.

In terms of achievements, Lawrence Lui and Nghiem Van Y both have 6 wins and 1 loss in professional MMA tournaments. However, the New Zealand representative has a longer arm span than Nghiem Van Y, and in recent matches, Lui has shown very good physical strength and endurance.

The 1996-born fighter also stands out with his diverse wrestling skills such as double leg, leg trip, bodylock takedown and leg ride... thanks to that, Lui was able to flexibly switch tactics in the quarter-final match against opponent Zhang Qinghe and won the match.

On the other hand, Nghiem Van Y has a foundation from practicing Wushu - one of the most popular martial arts in Vietnam, which helps him have solid techniques and create advantages in standing situations. In Van Y's victories, it can be seen that the Bac Giang fighter possesses highly accurate strikes, capable of effectively finishing off his opponents.

Compared to Rui Imura, the opponent Nghiem Van Y met in the quarterfinals, Lawrence Lui is clearly rated higher in strength, certainly will create more difficulties for the representative of Vietnam. However, with careful preparation in terms of mentality, physical strength and opponent research, along with the spirit of being ready to face the challenge, Vietnamese fans can completely expect a positive result from Nghiem Van Y.

If he wins Road to UFC, Nghiem Van Y will win an official contract to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This means the future is to become a professional fighter competing in the world's largest MMA tournament, which brings together the top fighters in Asia.

The match is not only an opportunity for Van Y to take another step towards the final match of the bantamweight (61kg), but also shows the strong development of Vietnamese MMA in the process of selecting and training talented athletes to participate in international arenas.

The Road to UFC event in Shanghai (China) will take place at 5pm on August 22nd, Vietnam time. The match between Van Y and Van Y will take place in the third round, after 2 other matches. If Van Y defeats Lawrence Lui, he will face Sulang Rangbo (China)/Sim Kai Xiong (Singapore) in the bantamweight final.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/mma-viet-nam-dung-truoc-co-hoi-lich-su-20250822152507987.htm