Lion Championship MMA returns, first fight in Tây Hồ on April 1

HÀ NỘI — The Lion Championship, Việt Nam's premier mixed martial arts tournament, is back for its second year and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

Organisers have announced that a number of the nation's biggest stars, including Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Trúc, Dương Thị Thanh Bình, and Nghiêm Văn Ý, will be taking part in this year's tournament, which has been called 'History Makers'. 

After the success of last year's inaugural season, a host of foreign fighters from China, South Korea, and Japan, renowned hubs of martial arts, have also signed up to compete.

The eight-event season will feature a brand-new format designed to showcase each athlete's skills and make the fights even more aggressive. Fans can expect to see some truly spectacular match-ups as the best of the best battle it out in the ring.

The events will take place in various locations throughout Việt Nam, including Hà Nội, HCM City, and Phú Quốc.

The bell will sound for the first event on April  一 in Hà Nội, with the following events in the capital taking place on June  三0 and August  一 二. 

Fight fans in HCM City can catch the action on April  二 二, July  八, and September  九.

The finals will be held in Hà Nội on November  一 八. 

Athletes will compete in nine weight categories, six for men ( 五 六kg,  六0kg,  六 五kg,  七0kg,  七 七kg and  八 四kg) and three for women ( 五 二kg,  五 六kg and  六0kg).

Each fight will consist of three five-minute rounds, while the championship fights will be five five-minute. 

This year's match-ups will be based on fighter's records and performance in last year's event. Each fighter will have a maximum of five fights to collect points, with the best advancing to the championship fights.

To boost the development of the sport in the country, the Việt Nam MMA Federation has opened up a tournament for B-class competitors to support and nurture local talent.

"There will have six to eight matches in each event," said Võ Thành Trung, a member of the organising board. "The main cards would be matches between top fighters or Vietnamese fighters and foreign challengers."

"Bonuses for fighters will be allocated based on the ranking of matches. The more quality and high-ranking matches, the bigger bonuses are delivered."

The big bonuses are sure to be a strong motivation for fighters to train and compete to the best of their ability while taking the sport to the next level of professionalism within the country.