Nghiem Van Y won an important victory at Road To UFC

Nghiem Van Y (right) deservedly won in the quarterfinals of Road To UFC - Photo: UFC

Nghiem Van Y's unexpected but worthy victory

Nghiem Van Y and Rui Imura competed at Road To UFC in the quarterfinals of the featherweight (61 - 66kg). The match took place in China and was an event that attracted a lot of attention, because winning a ticket to the biggest MMA tournament on the planet, UFC, is the dream of many fighters.

The Vietnamese boxer was rated lower because he had less battle experience than his opponent, even though both were born in 1999. However, the match result brought many surprises. Nghiem Van Y took advantage of the opportunity in the second round, throwing a punch to the face that knocked his opponent to the floor.

The Vietnamese athlete did not miss the opportunity, continuing to attack continuously until the referee intervened, winning by knockout. Road To UFC 2025 is the fourth season held. This event is for the top Asian MMA fighters to compete for an official contract to join the UFC. The four weight classes selected are flyweight (under 57kg), bantamweight (57 - 61kg), featherweight (61 - 66kg) and lightweight (66 - 70kg).

The win in the opening match helps Yen Van Y advance to the semi-finals which will take place on August 23 in Shanghai, where he will face New Zealander Lawrence Lui, who won on points in the same match as Yen Van Y.

Special development journey

To have the favorable start as now, Nghiem Van Y has gone through a period of training - accumulating experience in domestic tournaments and training trips abroad. He started competing in mixed martial arts (MMA) since 2022 when Vietnam's LION Championship first appeared to the audience.

This was the time when Yan Wenyi left the national wushu team due to health reasons. However, he still wanted to find a chance to compete and challenge himself in a completely new sport like mixed martial arts. In that season, Yan Wenyi won all 4 matches and won the championship in the 65kg category.

The first turning point in Nghiem Van Y's MMA career was when he lost the title to Felipe Negochadle at the end of 2023. This was a period when the Bac Giang fighter continuously had injury problems. After this loss, Van Y spent a long time off to recover.

Nghiem Van Y started out in wushu before switching to MMA - Photo: UFC

The year 2024 witnessed a significant transformation for Van Y. He moved to a new club and was trained at the UFC Performance Institute (UFC PI). The training trip is part of a cooperation program between the Vietnam Mixed Martial Arts Federation and the UFC Asia headquarters in China. Accordingly, coaches at UFC PI conduct tests and receive training for Vietnamese fighters.

Nghiem Van Y and Duong Thi Thanh Binh were the two names chosen to participate in the training trip in October 2024. After the training trip, he returned and defeated Felipe Negochadle in the first round to regain the championship belt, a match that marked a strong change for Van Y in both tactics and techniques. He also shared about the opportunity to go to Road To UFC after returning to the top position of Vietnamese MMA.

"During the training session at UFC PI Shanghai, the coaches there were impressed with my ability and offered to join Road To UFC next year. I will definitely try to bring a good performance at Road To UFC and then UFC," Nghiem Van Y revealed.

The 1999-born fighter represents the journey of maturity of an MMA fighter in Vietnam, and seeks opportunities in international arenas. He has a foundation from the process of training in wushu, moving to MMA competition and has achieved certain successes.

Seeing Nghiem Van Y's potential in MMA, the Vietnam Mixed Martial Arts Federation (VMMAF) has promoted the opportunity to bring Nghiem Van Y to an international training environment like UFC PI. This is the place that has trained many fighters competing in the UFC, bringing many faces in the Asian region to pass the Road To UFC selection round to advance to the world's biggest arena. Now, that goal is only two wins away for Nghiem Van Y to bring him to the next level of his career.

DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nghiem-van-y-gianh-chien-thang-quan-trong-tai-road-to-ufc-20250525101758431.htm