Vietnamese martial arts champion defeats Thai fighter to win Muay competition

Rachvicha, 30, is 1.72-m tall and had over 100 professional fights under his belt, while Duy Nhat, 33, is 1.67-m tall and only competed in 18 pro fights so far. In the first round, Nhat was on the offense and tried going in with power, but Rachvicha defended well. The Thai fighter even swept Nhat’s leg to get him down, but Nhat quickly stood up.

In the second half, Rachvicha picked up the pace and cornered Nhat, but couldn’t throw accurate strikes. Nhat responded with high kicks and punches that hit Rachvicha’s face.

The last round saw both fighters going all out. Nhat had a better edge with accurate kicks and elbows into Rachvicha’s face. Thanks to this, the Vietnamese fighter won the match by having more points.

With the victory in the 60 kg event, Nhat claimed the MTGP belt and VND60 million ($2,545) in prize money. Before the MTGP, Nhat also won the 60 kg event at the MMA Lions Championship and a national Muay Thai gold medal in 2022.

Vietnamese fighter Huynh Van Tuan also defeated his Thai opponent WaraYut Wanajamriang to win the 51 kg event on Thursday.

The MTGP Vietnam Championship was held at the Rach Mieu Gymnasium, HCMC, featuring 26 fighters from 17 domestic and international martial arts clubs at different weight classes.

Nhat is a five-time Muay Thai world champion and four-time SEA Games medalist, along with other wins he’s scored at Asian Muay Thai tournaments.