Dave Leduc is Being Heavily Linked to a Fight Against China’s ‘Shaolin Monk’ Yi Long…
Are you a real fight fan if you don’t know who Dave Leduc is? The Canadian Lethwei champion is billed as ‘The Most Dangerous Man in Combat Sports,’ and has done more to promote his incredibly violent sport than any other fighter. Nicknamed the ‘Nomad,’ he’s the current open weight Lethwei world champion.
Also known as ‘Burmese Bare-knuckle Boxing’, Lethwei is like an even more hardcore version of Muay Thai. You can use headbutts, and the only way to win is by knockout – although you are given time to recover if you are KOed. It’s insanely tough and makes MMA look like child’s play.
Now it looks like he could be set to take on Chinese fighter, Yi Long. Known as ‘The Shaolin Monk,’ in a move that could make Lethwei bigger than it has ever been before.
Exciting
If reports (via MuayThaiAuthority) are to be believed, Leduc could be set to cross over to MasFight for a one-off fight in China against their superstar Yi Long. MasFight is an insane new promotion that basically uses kickboxing rules, with the only way to win via knockout. The fight is one nine-minute round and ends after a fighter has been KOed or knocked down three times, which counts as a TKO.
While it’s not as hardcore as Lethwei – nothing is – it’s still a very entertaining and refreshing platform. Yi Long is hugely popular in China and has fought excellent opponents like Buakaw in the past. However, he did use the bizarre technique of blocking with his head throughout his career – which has affected him late in his career.
Showdown
This would be a big opportunity for Leduc to create a platform in Asia, bigger than anything he’s ever had the chance to do before. While he must surely be the favourite – if this fight goes ahead – there is one big issue that he’ll have to deal with: this fight will probably be in China. He will have to KO Yi Long, clean and quick before any dodgy judging affects this fight.
First of all, he has to deal with the threat of Tun Tun Min on December 9. This will be the third time that he’s fought the Lethwei legend. Their first clash resulted in a draw, and then Leduc shocked Myanmar by beating the former champion.
Clash
Meanwhile, Yi Long’s most recent fight was an exhibition match against Hong Man Choi. The South Korean super-heavyweight stands 7ft 2in tall and weighs about 310kg. Yi Long was able to use his speed and cardio to great effect get a body shot KO win over the giant, who pretended he had been kicked in the groin. It’s weird stuff.
Leduc will definitely fancy his chances at being the Chinese fighter who is probably not as tough as any of the madmen who make Lethwei their bread-and-butter. It would be phenomenal if Burmese Bare-Knuckle Boxing became mainstream. However, maybe what makes it special is the fact that it isn’t.
