Mixed martial arts

There are nine events in this year's LION Championship, which will feature a new format for a better viewing experience and more competitive matches. Photo courtesy of VMMAF

Martial arts

HÀ NỘI The country's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament, the LION Championship, will be back in the octagon with some changes -- and the event will play a key role in selecting fighters for the national teams.

The LION Championship has been held for the past three years and has received a lot of attention from the martial arts community. Although it is not a national championship, the tournament is considered one of the most sought-after competitions in Việt Nam and an opportunity for fighters to access the professional MMA arena both locally and internationally.

MMA will debut at the next Asian Games (ASIAD) in Japan in 2026. It will also be a demonstration event at the 33rd SEA Games later this year in Thailand.

For this year's LION Championship, nine events will be held in Hà Nội, HCM City, Khánh Hòa and Phú Quốc, with one every month starting on April 12 and running until December 13.

In an attempt to give fighters a more varied experience as well as draw in more supporters to the sport ahead of the 20th ASIAD, the Việt Nam Mixed Martial Arts Federation (VMMAF) will introduce four new competition formats at the LION Championship.

The Striking format prioritises fights with martial artists in a standing position, suitable for those who practise Muay Thai, sanshou, boxing, taekwondo and karate. This group of martial arts has the largest number of practitioners in Việt Nam.

The Ground Fight format is for athletes who use wrestling, judo, jujitsu, kurash and sambo techniques. The matches begin with fighters in a standing position, but striking techniques are prohibited. Once a fighter is in a grounded position, they may use striking techniques, along with chokes.

The Duo format features four fighters simultaneously in a cage divided into two teams of two fighters, who duel each other under two referees' supervision.

The Gauntlet will see two teams with three members each fighting in a single-elimination bracket format. The last person left will win the match for their team.

VMMAF officials at a press conference launching the 2025 LION Championship. -- Photo of VMMAF

"It is expected that each event will have between 10 to 12 matches of both traditional and new formats," said Trần Đại Triều, a representative of the VMMAF's Referee Department.

"The duo and gauntlet are kind of team competitions, which will see winners after each event. Meanwhile, in the striking and ground fights, athletes will compete to qualify for quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals to take the championship belt. It means that they have to fight in three events."

Along with the LION Championship, VMMAF will also organise the National Mixed Martial Arts Clubs Cup 2025 from June 23 to 29 in Hà Nội.

These tournaments are a major method for the federation to select the best fighters for international competitions like the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association events, ASIAD and the SEA Games.

Việt Nam took part in the Asian championship in 2023 and won one gold, one silver and two bronzes, taking fourth place in the medal tally. VNS