Quang Le: Vietnamese-American boxer wins first match in UFC

Early morning of May 4, Quang Le - a Vietnamese-American boxer won his first match in UFC after defeating Gaston Bolanos by choke.

A rear choke helped Quang Le (in white pants) win - Photo: UFC

Quang Le (real name Le Pham Phuc Quang) was considered weaker than his opponent Gaston Bolanos at the UFC Fight Night event held in Iowa (USA). His victory was a surprise.

Quang Le won by rear-naked choke. The 1991-born boxer tried to wrestle his opponent into a choke. Gaston is strong in standing attacks, while choking is Quang Le's advantage.

In the first round, the Vietnamese boxer played proactively, following the wrestling strategy and pinning Gaston to the floor, limiting the exchange of blows in a standing position on the floor.

Quang Le continued to use the same tactic in round 2. Gaston countered strongly but was still taken down. The result was a chance to lock the neck from behind until Gaston exposed his back.

At 1 minute 54 seconds of round 2, Quang Le's rear-naked choke left Gaston unconscious. The referee immediately stopped the match and the victory belonged to the boxer born in Bien Hoa, Dong Nai .

Quang Le's first win was also a historic win for a Vietnamese-American fighter in the UFC. Quang Le had previously suffered two defeats against Chris Gutierrez and Long Xiao.

After the match, Quang Le said on UFC channel: "I was very nervous before this match because I needed a victory like this more than ever. The feeling right now is great. I sacrificed and devoted everything to get here. I am happy with this victory."

Quang Le signed with UFC in 2024 after an impressive seven-fight winning streak in LFA. The 34-year-old trained in traditional martial arts from a young age before switching to MMA.

UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship is one of the most famous mixed martial arts (MMA) tournaments in the world . UFC was founded in 1993 by Arthur Davie, a New York businessman. UFC has 8 weight classes for men, and 4 for women.

Quang Le (real name Le Pham Phuc Quang, nickname Le "Bang" Quang), born in 1991 in Bien Hoa, Dong Nai. After settling in the US, Quang Le studied martial arts with master Xuan Phuoc of Tay Son Bac Phai.

This Vietnamese boxer had to go through 11 amateur level fights from less famous tournaments such as: Chosen FC 6, Victory One Champion, No Mercy and GAMMA Singapore, with 7 wins and 4 losses before moving up to compete in professional MMA.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/quang-le-vo-si-goc-viet-thang-tran-dau-tien-o-ufc-20250504114312081.htm