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| Ngo Viet Phu - the first Hue native to be VMMAF Chief Referee. Photo courtesy of the subject |
”Vast” legacy
The story started on December 19, 2021, when the Vietnam Mixed Martial Arts Cup 2021 was held in Ho Chi Minh City by VMMAF - the first officially recognized professional MMA event under the General Department of Sports and Physical Training. In the octagon, a referee with a calm yet steely look drew the audience’s attention, though few realized it was the first appearance of Ngo Viet Phu, an MMA referee from Hue, in the role of officiating.
Before earning his official referee role at the professional tournament, Ngo Viet Phu had to pass two demanding training courses conducted by VMMAF with hundreds of other trainees and undergo expert evaluations on his live performance in the ring.
Asked whether he felt any pressure the first time he officially stepped into the octagon, Phu, with a smile and a voice contrasting his tough appearance, said: “I felt normal.” The reason, he explained, was that before joining MMA, Ngo Viet Phu had been a strength coach for the archery team of Hue City, a karate athlete for 15 years on the city team, and a karate referee for five years. He also holds a purple belt in jujitsu and serves as both coach and referee in BJJ, muay thai, kickboxing, and boxing. With such a background, it is easy to understand why his “normal” feeling seemed so natural, even in his first time refereeing an MMA match.
“A referee in MMA must do more than know the rules: they must have been fighters themselves, having felt the strength and speed of the ring,” Phu said. “Only with mastery of multiple martial arts and real combat experience can one judge each situation precisely. A professional tournament, too, relies not just on skilled fighters but on a fair and transparent scoring system - the foundation for the sustainable development of Vietnamese MMA on the global stage.”
With the wealth of experience he has built over the years, Ngo Viet Phu has officiated flawlessly since becoming an official MMA referee. “MMA requires extreme focus,” Phu said. “Every movement, every strike can turn the tide in mere seconds - sometimes in just the blink of an eye.”
Mettle proven
in the VMMAF system, there is only one chief referee. In simple terms, this person is responsible for coordinating referees at each tournament and making the final technical decisions. For that reason, it is also the position all MMA referees strive for.
To qualify as a chief referee, each referee must meet several criteria: formal training through domestic and international courses; strong professional expertise; confidence, composure, and independence in managing matches; and a reputation built through major tournaments and events.
In practice, at several domestic MMA tournaments, quite a few referees have made mistakes while officiating. For example, in 2023, due to an error in judging the result - with no wrongdoing found - of the bout between Tran Ngoc Luong and Robson De Oliveira Soares at the Lion Championship, vmmaf disciplined three referees: Ngo Quoc Thang and Tran Trung Nghia (suspended from officiating until the end of the season), and Nguyen Dang Khoa (suspended for the next three events).
However, at the same tournament, Ngo Viet Phu showed his experience and composure in every match he officiated. Among them, the most talked-about bout among experts was between “the unbeaten Muay Thai fighter” Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat and Le Van Tuan, a rising young athlete.
From the outset, against predictions, Le Van Tuan dominated, relentlessly putting pressure on Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat - at one point unleashing nearly 50 consecutive strikes. In one instance, after being caught in a deep rear choke from Le Van Tuan, many spectators thought Duy Nhat had lost consciousness. Yet, with a professional eye, referee Ngo Viet Phu observed, lightly tapped, and asked, “Are you ok?” Duy Nhat immediately signaled he was fine, and the bout resumed. From that moment on, Duy Nhat staged a dramatic comeback, knocking out Le Van Tuan.
“It may appear simple, but Phu’s light revealed exceptional professionalism and technical expertise. In that situation, without training in jujitsu, it would have been difficult to recognize that Duy Nhat was still able to fight on,” affirmed Chu Minh Tuan, head coach of Vietnam’s national and Hue jujitsu teams.
Of course, the match between Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat and Le Van Tuan was among many bouts Phu has refereed. More than simply fulfilling his duty, with precise handling, confidence, and professionalism, Ngo Viet Phu gained firm trust and credibility from professionals, colleagues, fighters, and spectators. By 2025, he was recognized and appointed Chief Referee of VMMAF - the “sweet fruit” of his dedication to MMA.