Mixed martial arts

Đào Hồng Sơn (top) tries to armbar Phạm Ngọc Cảnh in their match at the LION Championship 14. Photos of LION Championship

HCM CITY -- Despite being a newbie in the national mixed martial arts community, jujitsu master Đào Hồng Sơn won a brilliant victory and set a new record at the nation's largest MMA series, the LION Championship 14, over the weekend.

The former world champion in jujitsu, Sơn needed only 17 seconds to force veteran Phạm Ngọc Cảnh of Liên Phong MMA to tap out. Sơn was announced the winner with an armbar submission in the men's 56kg class at HCM City's Rạch Miễu Gymnasium.

It was the fastest win of the tournament's history. The previous record was made by Trình Hữu Minh when he locked Đào Hữu Quý's foot at the 2023 LION Championship 08 in the 30th second of the first round.

"I followed the exact strategy proposed by the coaching staff. I opened the attack immediately and then wrestled him down, armbarred him tightly so that he had to surrender," said Sơn.

"I successfully made it. My jujitsu skills helped me take the victory."

In other matches, Nguyễn Hoàng Thạch also earned a submission win against Trần Trọng Kim with a guillotine choke near the end of the third round of the men's 56kg category.

Lý Văn Huỳnh, the first runner up in 2022, knocked out Lưu Nhân Nghĩa in the men's 77kg category with his powerful left round kick that hit Nghĩa's rib cage. Nghĩa could not stand up after a referee counted to 10.

Phan Thanh Tùng overshadowed Lê Huy Hoàng in the the men's 56kg, applying a rear naked choke in the first round.

The only Class A for women saw Nguyễn Vũ Quỳnh Hoa beating Lê Thị Thúy Vy in the 52kg weight class.

The next LION Championship 15 will be held on July 13 at the Tây Hồ Gymnasium in Hà Nội. VNS