Vietnamese girl wins gold at 2026 Asian MMA Championship
VOV.VN - Vietnam claimed a gold medal at the 2026 Asian MMA Championship after Lo Thi Phung forced her Iranian opponent to submit just 51 seconds into the final, marking the country’s only gold medal at the tournament.
Competing in the women’s division, the 1998-born fighter defeated Akbaridastgerdi Mobina of Iran by submission in the championship bout held in Luzhou, China. Phung moved aggressively from the opening exchange, quickly closing distance and bringing the fight to the ground, where she applied a tight triangle choke.
Mobina tapped out repeatedly, though the referee intervened only after several seconds, officially awarding Phung victory by submission.
Phung advanced to the final by defeating Thanyaret Suksamran of Thailand via technical knockout in under 90 seconds. She controlled the pace from the outset, surviving a brief ground exchange before regaining top position and landing a series of strikes that prompted the referee to stop the fight.
Lo Thi Phung, a former kindergarten teacher from Lai Chau province, is widely known in Vietnam as the “MMA teacher.” She transitioned into professional combat sports after moving to southern Vietnam and has continued to work with children through community and charity programmes.
She became a national jiu-jitsu champion after two years of specialised training and gained wider attention in 2024 at the Lion Championship, where she won all three of her debut MMA bouts by first-round submission. Her only career loss came later that year in a title fight at 52 kg.
The 2026 Asian MMA Championship was held from Jan. 9–11 by the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association and featured competitors from across the continent. Vietnam sent a 10-member squad as part of its long-term preparation for ASIAD 20 in Japan and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2026 in Saudi Arabia.
ASIAD 20 will mark the first time MMA is included as an official medal sport, making the Asian championship a key ranking and evaluation event for national teams across the region.
Vietnamese fighters eye Asian MMA titles in China
Vietnamese fighters will target championship honours when they compete at the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championships 2026 in China, aiming to build momentum and ranking points on the continental stage.
