The tournament is organized professionally and systematically.
The 2025 National MMA Club Cup is the first MMA tournament in the high-performance sports competition system issued by the Vietnam Sports Administration ( Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ). Information from the tournament organizers said that the tournament plays an important role in developing the movement from the local level and is the basis for selecting athletes for the National MMA Team to participate in the upcoming 33rd SEA Games.
The tournament gathered 160 athletes from 24 clubs from 14 provinces and cities across the country to compete in two age groups: 16-18 years old and over 18 years old. In which, the age group from 16-18 will compete in the following weight categories: 48kg, 52kg, 60kg, 65kg, 70kg, 77kg for men and the following weight categories: 45kg, 58kg, 52kg, 56kg, 60kg for women. In the age group over 18, athletes compete from 52kg to 84kg (men) and from 48kg to 65kg (women).
At the professional meeting held on July 16, the organizing committee proposed a series of competition regulations to suit the development of the MMA training movement across the country and ensure the safety of athletes such as: Athletes compete in a standard 7x7m octagonal cage (8 sides), using MMA gloves from 7-10 ounces (the weight of gloves, often used to distinguish different types of gloves for training and competition purposes); wearing elbow and shin guards.
For each age group, the organizing committee also sets out specific regulations. For the 16-18 age group, athletes are not allowed to use elbow strikes or forearm attacks, and are not allowed to use knee strikes to the opponent's head in any position. In addition, scissor wrestling techniques without prior body contact and overhead wrestling are also prohibited. For the over 18 age group, elbow strikes in the lying position are prohibited. In addition, both age groups have prohibitions such as: heel breaks, knee kicks, or twisting/twisting/flexing moves in the spine area...
These regulations not only help protect athletes during competition but also help Vietnamese MMA approach competition in an international environment.
Goal of raising the level of Vietnamese MMA
Around the world, MMA is gradually becoming a sport that attracts a large number of fans. In the Southeast Asia region, some countries have also begun to focus on developing this martial art.
At the 32nd SEA Games held in 2023, MMA was officially included in the competition system. The Vietnamese delegation won many medals, notably the Gold Medal of Tran Quang Loc in the 65 kg category. In the same year, boxer Nguyen Tien Long also won the Gold Medal in the 65 kg category of traditional MMA at the first Asian MMA Championship.
Then, at the 2024 Asian MMA Championship, Vietnam surprised again when two fighters entered the semi-finals. Although they did not win any medals, this is proof that Vietnamese MMA is capable of competing at the continental level. Because before that.
And most recently, on May 23, martial artist Nghiem Van Y entered the semi-finals of MMA Road to UFC 2025, which will take place in August... Not only that, some Vietnamese martial artists such as Pham Quoc Dat and Hoang Nam Thang also participated in competitions in the IMMAF, BRAVE CF and ROAD FC systems. All of the above shows that Vietnamese MMA is gradually integrating with the "international arena".
In 2025, Vietnam MMA aims for two important goals: SEA Games 33 in Thailand, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG 6) in Saudi Arabia in 2025, along with the long-term goal in the following years: Asian Games (ASIAD 20) in Japan in 2026.
Since the beginning of 2025, the Vietnam Mixed Martial Arts Federation (VMMAF) has developed a plan to prepare athletes and select potential faces. If Lion Championship - the first professional tournament in Vietnam dedicated to MMA, held from 2022, is considered a launching pad for talented young fighters in the country, contributing to professionalizing the movement and building a systematic MMA ecosystem in Vietnam, then the 2025 National MMA Club Cup is the premise for VMMAF to build a National MMA Team, ready for future international tournaments, thereby bringing Vietnam to a stronger position on the world MMA map.
Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/mma-viet-nam-tiep-tuc-hanh-trinh-vuon-ra-bien-lon-i775039/
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