Before the championship ring match of the women's 52kg MMA Pro weight class at the 2025 MMA Lion Championship - LC 25 held on the evening of August 16 at Cam Ranh Square (Khanh Hoa), Lo Thi Phung was confident that she could not lose the match.
Unfortunately, Lo Thi Phung could not win the championship belt. Despite losing the match, she still received many applause from the audience and from her opponent Nguyen Vu Quynh Hoa.
As a preschool teacher, Lo Thi Phung is passionate about martial arts. The two fields are completely different (education, sports) but she acknowledged: "I always focus and set goals to achieve success in any job".
Very few parents know that I am a MMA fighter. I guess if they knew, the parent meeting would be very... quiet, Lo Thi Phung joked.
Lo Thi Phung is of the Thai ethnic group. She shared that her decision to leave her hometown of Lai Chau to Ho Chi Minh City to pursue a career as a professional athlete jujitsu and MMA was a turning point in her life.
After my parents learned that I was competing in the MMA Lion Championship, they were surprised to see me hit so hard. Until now, my parents have always encouraged and supported me in this career, she added.
Lo Thi Phung's passion for sports has come since she was in high school in Lai Chau. At that time, the female student was interested in the stick push sport, which required health and speed when competing.
After finishing her studies at Lai Chau College, Lo Thi Phung went to teach kindergarten in her hometown, but jujitsu martial arts was the motivation for the female martial artist to decide to practice as an athlete
Before participating in the 2025 MMA Lion Championship - LC 25, Lo Thi Phung competed in the 2025 Southeast Asian jujitsu Championship and won the gold medal in the women's 52kg weight class of Newaza Nogi.
She affirmed that she is passionate about jujitsu and jujitsu's locking and tightening techniques are significantly helpful when competing in MMA.
To be proficient with jujitsu, Lo Thi Phung must practice professionally for no less than 8 hours/day. The basic techniques and advanced techniques helped me adapt to this martial art, Lo Thi Phung shared.
In 2022, Lo Thi Phung began participating in the national jujitsu tournament. After a year, she won the gold medal for the first time at the 2023 National jujitsu Championship. In 2024, Lo Thi Phung began trying her hand at mixed martial arts MMA.
My teacher, coach Le Hoang Mai, instructed me to practice and compete in mixed martial arts MMA. I have adapted to this very attractive sport, added Lo Thi Phung.
The competition for the women's 52kg weight class championship at MMA Lion Championship 2025 - LC 25 has its own value for Lo Thi Phung because it affirms that she is a fighter who really wants to affirm herself as aiming to conquer the pinnacle of mixed martial arts.
Behind the hours of practice in jujitsu or MMA, Lo Thi Phung is a teacher who is dedicated to teaching free classes for children with symptoms of paralysis and physical disabilities in Ho Chi Minh City.
Lo Thi Phung's immediate goal is to complete her study program at Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports, then continue to study for a master's program.
