Mixed martial arts 

The Lion Championship 29 will take place on December 27 in Hà Nội, with special format bouts between Vietnamese and Chinese martial artists. — Photos courtesy of VMMAF

HÀ NỘI — The Lion Championship 29 (LC29) is set to transform the Đông Anh Gymnasium into a fiery mixed martial arts (MMA) stage at the end of the year, with clashes between Vietnamese and Chinese fighters on December 27 in Hà Nội.

The main card will be a '2 vs 2' match of the MMA Duo Striking format featuring Nguyễn Xuân Phương and Nguyễn Ngọc Thức of the hosts and Liu Long Quan and Li Tian Tao of China.

Phương and Thức caused headlines in previous editions with their aggressive striking style and hilarious trash talk. After their first failed attempt in the LC21 in April, they took an easy win in the LC25 four months late. The victory was a strong push for them to enter the LC29, determining to assert their dominance.

They will face younger and powerful rivals as Liu has secured many top prizes from different kickboxing and Muay Thai events with many early knock-outs and Li was champion of a number of local major events that featured some of China's best fighters.

"I heard that my opponents love to have gifts. Let's see what I will present them. I will get on the octagon and swallow them all," said Liu when landed in Hà Nội on December 25.

The joint main card will be a '3 vs 3' MMA Trio fight also between martial artists of Việt Nam and China, promising a dramatic and emotional night of competition for the Hà Nội audience. It is a special format of MMA which is said highly entertaining but also extremely harsh.

Trần Việt Anh, Phan Huy Hoàng, and Lê Minh Hoàng will face Shang Suai Nan, Yin Lian Bo, and Zhao Chen Kai in the 190kg-in-total bout. They will fight all together at the same time and the winning side will the one with last fighter standing in the octagon after 10 minutes.

The MMA Trio is new to Việt Nam this season and the Vietnamese fighters have had little experience for their matches. Their rivals are however powerful individuals of Guoqiang MMA Fight Club, which is one of emerging dojos in China. They are highly regarded for their striking foundation and adaptability to MMA.

In the opening match, Trần Huy Hải will face Phạm Bình Minh in the final of the men's 56kg category. The winner will walk away with a prestigious LION Championship belt.

Also in this weight, Lý Diệu Phước will battle Lê Hoàng Đức and Nguyễn Thanh Duy will fight Nguyễn Phú Thịnh. The matches of young fighters promise to be competitive with many surprises, according to organisers.

A list of matches in the LION Championship 29.

A rematch between Nguyễn Tiến Long and Nguyễn Hữu Hân in a new competition will take place in the MMA Pro 65kg class.

Hân, the national wushu champion, is unbeaten in the LION Championship Series. His powerful head and body shots are regarded as his best weapons to overcome opponents. 

Long lost to Hân as a wushu fighter but will hope for sweet revenge on Saturday.

Hân said Long hadn't made any impression through his victories yet and he would wait to see what 'his loser' could do in the meet.

In response, Long asked Hân to be well prepared for the defeat that was 'definitely coming'.

LC29 will be hotter than ever with the appearance of Việt Nam's first UFC fighter Quang Lê, who will be present after returning from the most prestigious tournament on the planet, meanwhile rapper Lil Wuyn will act as a special guest, bringing the hip-hop beat to the fiery atmosphere of the gymnasium. — VNS