In an exclusive interview with Fight News Australia,<\/a> Viet Anh Do revealed a surprising truth. Despite leaving the cage with another win, he felt disappointed with the result due to failing ONE\u2019s hydration test.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the first time I\u2019ve ever missed anything. Hydration, weight, whatever it is that I need to be at a certain level of weight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n ONE Championship<\/a> is the only major MMA organisation known for its unique pre-fight weight and hydration tests. Under any other combat sports banner, such as the UFC or PFL, Viet Anh Do would be classified as a flyweight instead of bantamweight.<\/p>\n ONE\u2019s effort to minimise the health risks associated with traditional weight cutting means fighters are required to have a certain amount of water in their bodies when making weight. This process proves they have not overly drained themselves \u2013 a noble initiative not without its consequences.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just in my head constantly, not being able to win the 50k bonus (a penalty for failing hydration). For a lot of us, including myself, that would have been life-changing and I knew that I blew it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo on top of that, I kind of have to put in extra effort into my performance just to make up for that unprofessionalism. That\u2019s how I felt.\u201d<\/p>\n Ever the humble man, Viet Anh Do recognised his mistake and made no excuse. The fight went ahead and he wasted no time ripping vicious shots into his opponent. After a bloody back-and-forth brawl, the referee was forced to intervene before the fight could go to the judges\u2019 scorecards.<\/p>\n More Fight News<\/p>\n \u201cThe positive I can take from this is I learned so much from this fight and this fight week alone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the experience, the XP, will be the biggest thing I could take away from this fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of first times from this fight. First time missing hydration. First time fighting in the morning. Who fights in the morning? At 9:00am or something like that in the morning? And I\u2019m not a morning person. Anyone who knows me knows I\u2019m a night owl. So that\u2019s new.\u201d<\/p>\n The landscape of MMA in New Zealand and Australia has evolved exponentially over the last two decades, with fighters having gone on to reach the pinnacle of combat sports. From UFC\u2019s Israel Adesanya to PFL\u2019s Rob Wilkinson, the Southern Hemisphere has produced world-class talent and ONE Championship has been a part of the journey.<\/p>\n Local talent currently rising through ONE\u2019s ranks are Isi Fitikefu, Kim Tran and Tyson Harrison. Some notable names of ex-title contenders and former world champions include Danial Williams, Reece McLaren and Martin Nguyen. The next star to break through could very well be the 29-year-old Kiwi sensation.<\/p>\n Born in H\u1ea3i Ph\u00f2ng, Vietnam and raised in South Auckland, New Zealand. Viet Anh Do trains out of Auckland MMA, a powerhouse gym for combat sports \u2013 but he didn\u2019t always envision a life in the cage.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always liked martial arts but I never thought this would be my choice of career. I always thought rugby union or rugby league would be my choice because that\u2019s our culture here in New Zealand. Everyone plays rugby,\u201d he told Fight News Australia.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first started training MMA, I didn\u2019t know there were weight classes because I was a rugby player and there are no weight classes in rugby. It\u2019s open weight. So I thought I was just going to verse anyone, any size.<\/p>\n \u201cI was prepared for that until my mate told me that there are actually divisions and weight classes; you verse people that are your size and weight \u2026 that\u2019s just not fair, bro \u2026\u00a0 I\u2019m just going to take over if that\u2019s the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Image credit: @vflyweightwildcard<\/p>\n