Ha The Anh returns Than Vo belt, Johnny Tri Nguyen stripped of title

Tension arose when Ha The Anh, the champion of Than Vo Vietnam in the 68kg category, returned his championship belt to move to another direction. This was unacceptable to Johnny Tri Nguyen.

Ha The Anh was awarded the 68kg championship belt by Johnny Tri Nguyen - Photo: GMA

On September 19, the mixed martial arts world was surprised to receive news from fighter Ha The Anh. The fighter from the Raptor MMA Club decided not to defend his Manh Ho Vietnam 68kg championship belt at the upcoming Than Vo Vietnam.

"After receiving comments and encouragement from my family, coaching staff and seniors in the profession, I decided that in the near future I will seek new challenges in a new competition environment. Therefore, the journey of Than Vo Vietnam for me has come to an end," he wrote in the announcement.

"I will return the title of Vietnamese Martial God that I am extremely proud of. I am very grateful for the meaningful journey of the past 2 years.

Thank you GMA - Gods of Martial Arts for creating the conditions for me to compete and keep the championship belt throughout the past time.

Besides, I also want to create conditions for my younger brother Trung Hai to have the opportunity to touch the Tiger belt," this boxer shared on his personal page.

The martial arts world rumored that Ha The Anh would move to compete in another tournament taking place parallel to Than Vo Viet Nam. This unintentionally overshadowed the tournament directed by Johnny Tri Nguyen.

In response to the martial artist's message, the same evening the Organizing Committee of Than Vo Vietnam issued a strong announcement: "Than Vo Vietnam will strip Ha The Anh of his Tiger title."

"The Tiger God Belt still belongs to the fighter who won it, but the title - a symbol of strength, honor and warrior spirit - is only valuable when the fighter maintains his composure in the ring.

Once you choose to back down, that title will be stripped away. This is not just a decision, but a definitive affirmation: the title of Vietnamese Martial God is not for those who back down!", the organizers announced.

Ha The Anh is the champion of the 68kg Tiger division. He just successfully defended his belt against challenger Pham Anh Duc on September 6. Therefore, The Anh will compete at the Than Vo International Arena with boxer Chayut Rojanakat.

However, his sudden announcement to return the championship belt has put the international match scheduled to take place at the end of the year in a difficult position. Who will replace Ha The Anh to fight in the 68kg weight class against the Thai boxer?

That is also the question Johnny Tri Nguyen - the program's general director - posed in this context.

QUANG THINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ha-the-anh-tra-dai-than-vo-johnny-tri-nguyen-tuoc-luon-danh-hieu-20250920003728044.htm