That was the view of Mikhail Mazur, the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation’s (IMMAF) data and analytics consultant who held the seminar at a military academy in Ho Chi Minh.

More than 100 interested parties, including coaches and athletes from across southern Vietnam, were in attendance as Mazur, who lives in Vietnam, addressed a broad range of topics.

These included amateur MMA ruleset, IMMAF committees and commissions, weight management and National Federation roles and responsibilities.

A second seminar is scheduled to take place in the north of Vietnam in Hanoi on May 25 subject to COVID restrictions.

Mazur believes the large turn-out for the seminar was a sign of success in the country and he expects the number of MMA gyms to grow significantly in the coming years.

"The event was held in a military academy and the room was packed with coaches and athletes so the interest for MMA is really present in the country," Mazur said.

"I enjoyed explaining the rules of MMA, with stress on safety and health in IMMAF’s amateur MMA in general and youth MMA in particular.

"This country has many MMA clubs and I have no doubt that their number will double in two years once VMMAF starts organising events on a regular basis, so thoughtful regulation is essential to guide the sport’s development in the right direction.

"VMMAF plans to hold its second seminar in late May but the plans may change due to recent restrictions because of a new COVID wave in Vietnam.

"We at IMMAF work diligently to help our beloved sport grow.

"We’ve had two technical seminars with multiple topics covering athletes and as federations development.

"I wanted to share not just IMMAF’s mission but disclose the vision, too - how to realize MMA Federation’s potential to the fullest.

"IMMAF is here to help any federation irrespective of it being part of our family or not."