The match between Zakhar Dmitrychenka and Pham Cong Minh: An opportunity for Vietnamese MMA?

On the evening of May 10, the LION Championship 22 event will take place at Tay Ho Stadium ( Hanoi ) with the highlight being the 84kg title defense match of champion Pham Cong Minh against challenger, Belarusian boxer Zakhar Dmitrychenka.

LION Championship is the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament in Vietnam, organized by the Vietnam Mixed Martial Arts Federation (VMMAF). After three seasons, LION Championship has made a big splash in the country's martial arts and sports community; creating a competitive environment for many professional MMA fighters.

The match between Zakhar Dmitrychenka and Pham Cong Minh at the LION Championship 22 event is a match that many martial arts lovers in general and MMA lovers in particular are looking forward to because this is the first time at a Vietnamese MMA arena there is a match with the participation of two world- class martial artists.

Pham Cong Minh and Zakhar Dmitrychenka will compete in the MMA ring on the evening of May 10.

In particular, the reigning champion Pham Cong Minh is a familiar name in the Vietnamese martial arts community, especially in Wushu. A former national Wushu athlete in the Sanshou category, the martial artist born in 1994 has won the national championship for 8 consecutive years. In addition, Pham Cong Minh also won the Silver Medal at the 2019 World Wushu Championship.

Coming to the MMA arena, Pham Cong Minh immediately affirmed his reputation when he won the LION Championship 11 championship in the 84 kg class (in December 2023). In addition, the fighter born in 1994 also holds the record for the fastest knockout at the LION Championship with a victory after 15 seconds at LION Championship 09 (September 9, 2023).

Pham Cong Minh won the championship belt in 2023.

With a powerful fighting style, effectively using kicks from his Wushu background, Pham Cong Minh often applies mid-range and high kicks, combined with good distance control thanks to his height and long arm span. The combination of technique and strength has helped him win convincingly in matches.

Meanwhile, Zakhar Dmitrychenka caused a stir on Vietnamese social networks in early spring 2025 when he participated in village wrestling competitions. Possessing a muscular body, Zakhar was nicknamed "thunder god" by many Vietnamese social network users.

It is known that before coming to Vietnam in 2022, Zakhar had achieved the Master of Sport Wrestling level in Belarus - a title given to wrestlers who have won national championships for many years in a row. Zakhar Dmitrychenka also won the Bronze Medal at the International Belt Wrestling Association World Championship (similar to Kurash) in 2017, and was in the top 10 in Classical Wrestling at the U23 World Wrestling Championship 2018.

Zakhar competed in many village wrestling arenas at the beginning of the new year 2025. Photo: Grapplingvietnam

In addition to the highlight match between Pham Cong Minh and Zakhar Dmitrychenka, LION Championship 22 continues to introduce matches in traditional MMA formats such as MMA Striking and MMA Ground Fight. Among them, some prominent faces appear for the first time such as national Wushu Sanshou champion Tran Huy Hai facing Nguyen Thanh Thoan - a fighter who won a Silver Medal at the national Muay/Kickboxing tournament.

At the LION Championship 22 event, the MMA Trio format (Three Fights) also appeared for the first time. Two teams will participate in the MMA Trio format from C88 with representatives: Nguyen Nguyen Chuong - Nguyen Quoc Bao and Luiz Finocchio (Italy) facing The Champ MMA with three fighters Bach Van Nghia, Le Quang Minh and Mahmoud Aboelkheir (Egypt). Six fighters from the two teams will enter the ring and face each other within 10 minutes of competition.

The participation of world-class fighters such as Pham Cong Minh or Zakhar Dmitrychenka helps Vietnamese MMA gradually approach the world level of MMA. In addition, young fighters competing with famous seniors will also help them gain valuable experience, thereby aiming for playgrounds that open up opportunities to come to major international tournaments...

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/cuoc-so-tai-zakhar-dmitrychenka-va-pham-cong-minh-co-hoi-cho-mma-viet-nam--i767544/