Vietnam is a founding member of the Southeast Asian MMA Association.

On December 12th in Bangkok, Thailand, representatives from national MMA federations in the region, including Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore, met to finalize matters related to the activities of the South East Asia Mixed Martial Arts Association (SEAMMAA). Mr. Ngo Duc Quynh, President of the Vietnam MMA Federation, attended the meeting.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MMA representatives from six member countries, SEAMMAA will be the official representative organization for Southeast Asian MMA in activities aimed at guiding the development of this martial art in these countries, as well as in Asia and on the world stage.

MMA representatives from six member countries signed a memorandum of understanding.

The memorandum of understanding states: "The parties recognize the rapid growth and potential of MMA in Southeast Asia; share a common vision for standardizing, developing, and promoting MMA under the unified management of a regional organization; and jointly desire to formally cooperate to establish the Southeast Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (SEAMMAA)."

Based on this, MMA representatives from six countries agreed to establish official goals including: Officially establishing and registering the Southeast Asian MMA Association (SEAMMAA); Developing a set of "Unified Rules" for amateur and professional MMA competitions in the region; Advocating for MMA to become an official medal-winning sport at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games); Promoting athlete safety, fair play, and adherence to international anti-doping standards.

The roles of the founding members are also outlined in the memorandum of understanding. Specifically, the establishment of a provisional Steering Committee to develop the official Statutes and Regulations of SEAMMAA; coordinating the organization of the first SEAMMAA Championship to demonstrate regional unity; and each founding member being responsible for working with their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or National Sports Authority to achieve official recognition for the Association.

SEAMMAA will be the official representative organization for MMA in Southeast Asia in activities aimed at guiding the development of this martial art.

Regarding financial resources, MMA representatives from each country will cover their own expenses related to attending meetings and activities under this MOU, unless otherwise agreed. The Steering Committee will seek funding opportunities and resources to support the establishment of the SEAMMAA headquarters…

This is very good news, demonstrating the proactive and positive approach of Vietnamese MMA in standardizing regional and international MMA activities. The establishment of SEAMMAA will also open up great opportunities for MMA to be regularly included in the official competition programs of future SEA Games (notably, Malaysia, one of the six founding members of SEAMMAA, is also the host of the 34th SEA Games in 2027).

Following its inclusion as an exhibition event at the 33rd SEA Games and as an official competition at the 20th Asian Games in Japan in 2026, MMA will have an official Southeast Asian championship, tentatively scheduled for next year.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/viet-nam-la-thanh-vien-sang-lap-hiep-hoi-mma-dong-nam-a-202512121103549.htm