Nghiem Van Y before a new milestone in his MMA career

Nghiem Van Y attends Road to UFC 2025 - Photo: FBNV .

On May 23, Nghiem Van Y will face Rui Imura, the Japanese Pancrase champion, at Road to UFC 2025. This is not only a clash between two contrasting styles, but also a "test of fire" for the Vietnamese representative at the prestigious international MMA arena.

Nghiem Van Y is the current Lion Championship featherweight champion. With a record of 5 wins and 1 loss, he stands out thanks to his powerful standing style, speed and high accuracy in his punches.

Meanwhile, Imura is the Pancrase bantamweight champion, famous for his superb grappling techniques, especially his ability to choke and break his arms, causing many opponents to submit.

Before stepping into the octagon, Nghiem Van Y had a conversation with Tri Thuc - Znews . He highly appreciated Rui Imura's striking skills, which is why he prepared for 2 months for this important match.

“My mentality is quite comfortable. I have been waiting for this match for a long time. My opponent has played more matches than me, and has good chokehold ability. Rui Imura’s wins all came from chokeholds and arm twists. To prepare for the match, I have 2 months to improve my physical strength and tactics according to the coach’s training program,” Nghiem Van Y shared.

In the octagon, every situation is measured in seconds, any mistake will cost any fighter. However, as a young face, Van Y said, if the result is in line with the set goal, it will be a milestone in his career. In the opposite case, this will be an experience, a useful lesson on the journey to conquer the peaks of MMA.

Nghiem Van Y's opponent is Rui Imura, bantamweight champion - Photo: FBNV.

“Honestly, I have gone through many fights in my career. For me, every fight is a big fight. Of course, with the stature of Road to UFC, the mentality must be carefully adjusted. I try to keep my mind relaxed, ready to strike when the opportunity arises, because I believe that a strike at the right time will make a difference. More importantly, I believe in myself, believe in the serious training journey, the guidance of good coaches and the unconditional support from family and friends,” the boxer born in 1999 continued.

Besides preparing mentally and physically, Nghiem Van Y has studied his opponent very carefully. He hopes that the preparation in the past 2 months will have a real "place to show its worth".

With his fast standing style, Nghiem Van Y understands that the important thing is to grasp the timing, avoiding being caught up in ground combat situations where Rui Imura has the advantage.

Nghiem Van Y was born in 1999 in a family with no one involved in sports in Bac Giang . He came to martial arts at the age of 13, later than many people. However, Van Y is also a rare face who quickly caught up and achieved success quite early. At the age of 16, he participated in the world youth tournament.

After that boost, Nghiem Van Y achieved a number of achievements such as being the national champion in Sanshou for 4 consecutive years, a bronze medal at the 2018 ASIAD in Wushu Sanshou, and a bronze medal at the 2019 SEA Games in Sanshou. In 2022, he switched to MMA and now, being present at Road to UFC is not only an honor for this fighter, but also a significant step forward for Vietnamese MMA on the Asia- Pacific map.

Entering a harsh journey where every fighter aims to reach the top of UFC, Nghiem Van Y is not alone. He carries the expectations of fans, the pride of Vietnamese MMA and the courage of a fighter ready to face the biggest challenge of his career.

Source: https://znews.vn/nghiem-van-y-truoc-cot-moc-moi-cua-su-nghiep-mma-post1554705.html