Former technology motorbike taxi driver competes for championship at MMA LION Championship 23

Because Rach Mieu Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City has been renovated and repaired since June 2025 to serve the preparation for the 2026 National Sports Festival, the LION Championship 23 (LC23) event will take place tonight (June 14) at Tay Ho District Gymnasium, Hanoi.

The highlight was the title defense of 56kg champion Pham Van Nam against opponent Le Van Tuan. This is a match of two fighters who made a living as technology motorbike taxi drivers before shining in the Vietnamese MMA community.

After the first title defender defeated Dinh Van Huong at LC8 in 2023, Pham Van Nam successfully maintained his position as the first champion of LION Championship in the 56kg weight class after only 3 rounds.

The confrontation between Pham Van Nam and Le Van Tuan at LC23 is the second title defense match of LION Championship in the 2025 season.

If they continue to win, Pham Van Nam - who is on a 4-match winning streak in the tournament, will become the first person to successfully defend his belt for 3 consecutive times. In addition, he will keep the championship belt permanently according to the tournament's regulations.

Meanwhile, Le Van Tuan entered the belt match after an impressive performance at LC21. He is currently ranked in the top 3 in the 56kg category and is considered an interesting unknown for the upcoming competition night.

In addition to the belt match, the MMA Pro format will also include matches between Bui Van Hung - Le Quang Minh for the 65kg category; Nguyen Phu Thinh - Huynh Ngoc Tin for the 56kg category; Tran Trong Kim - Bui Dinh Khai for the 56kg category.

In this format, Russian fighter - Mikhail Gritsanenko will face Vietnamese opponent - Quang Van Minh in a friendly match in the 65kg weight class. Quang Van Minh is highly appreciated for his persistent standing play and strong kicks. He has won 4 matches after 5 times on the top spot in LION Championship.

Meanwhile, this is the first time boxer Mikhail Gritsanenko has participated in the LION Championship. He has a remarkable record with 4 knockout wins and has participated in the One Championship.

The 65kg MMA Ground Fight category witnessed the competition between Adel Iabbarov and Pham Kim Quoc Huy.

For the MMA Striking format, two matches will take place, including Nguyen Van Lam - Tran Quang Khai in the 65kg category, Pham Binh Minh - Le Van Vu in the 56kg category. Another competition is the match between Dinh Van Huong and Jhaymie Gayman (56kg) which will be the only international friendly match in the MMA Striking format at LC23.

The matches at MMA LION Champions 23 will take place from 19:00 tonight (June 14) at Tay Ho Stadium, Hanoi.