Nguyễn Thị Thanh Trúc (right) is one of four Vietnamese athletes at the first Asian MMA Championship in Thailand. Photos of VMMAF

HÀ NỘI — Four Vietnamese fighters will compete at the first Asian Mix Martial Arts (MMA) Championship in Thailand from August 18-20.

"It is my honour to be one of the representatives of Việt Nam at the Asian championship," said Nguyễn Thị Thanh Trúc, Việt Nam's queen of MMA.

"I have to say a big thank you to the Việt Nam Mixed Martial Arts Federation which give us the best condition and preparation for this event,"

"It is a big playing ground for Vietnamese martial artists. I believe that our presence at the tournament marks a turning point in the development of the national MMA community as it is the first official amateur competition that we take part in.

"Although we are still new faces in MMA, we promise to compete for the best, bringing home victories."

The Việt Nam delegation before leaving for the Thai Asian championship.

At the Bangkok Thonburi University, Trúc will compete in the women's 54kg modern MMA. Her teammate Dương Thị Thanh Bình will fight in the women's 49kg modern MMA, Nghiêm Văn Ý men's 65kg modern MMA and Nguyễn Tiến Long men's 65kg traditional MMA.

The first three are winners of the professional LION Championship, the national most prestigious MMA tournament, while the latter is in the top four of his category.

In addition to the fighters, referees Ngô Viết Phú and Trần Đại Triều will also join the delegation. They have completed a training course and passed the exam to become Việt Nam's first international referees.

Trần Đại Triều is one of the first two international MMA referees of Việt Nam.

They will be assigned to work at the Bangkok event.

According to Võ Quốc Thắng, Việt Nam MMA Federation President, he hoped that athletes would deliver good images of Việt Nam's MMA to international friends. Athletes with high results will have opportunities to compete at the 19th Asian Games next month in China and the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games in Thailand next year. VNS