The Most Dangerous Man in the World Won Again With a Savage Victory Over His Arch-Rival Tun Tun Min…
Lethwei isn’t just a sport in Myanmar, it’s a way of life. The art of nine limbs – headbutts are legal – is one of the toughest martial arts on the planet. It’s like someone took a look at Muay Thai fighters and laughed at them for being too soft.
An increasing number of international fighters are getting about the Letwei train, and it is beginning to receive a larger amount of attention across the world. For good reason too: there are few combat sports that offer the potential carnage of ‘Burmese Bare-knuckle Boxing.’
No man has done more to promote the sport than Canada’s Dave Leduc. The Most Dangerous Man on Earth just defended his open weight golden belt against his nemesis, the Myanmarian fan-favourite Tun Tun Min, as he closed off their trilogy in savage style.
Trilogy
This is the third time that Leduc and Tun Tun Min have fought. The first time they met, the Canadian came from obscurity to bring the local legend to a hard-fought draw. This prompted cries for an immediate rematch, and Leduc duly obliged by getting a TKO win – shocking the nation.
Since then he’s fought six opponents, including French, Thai and US opposition as he’s consolidated his status at the top of the game. However, it was believed that a third and final fight against Tun Tun Min would be the most challenging match he’s ever had. It turned out to be one of his best performances.
Fight Time
It was a brutal fight that threatened to end early when Leduc knocked Tun Tun Min down and smashed him unconscious with an elbow. In any other martial art, the match would have ended there and then, but this is Lethwei. So the Burmese fighter took his allotted two minutes of recovery time and then came back to fight.
Incredibly he was able to survive the fight, although it was clearly dominated by Leduc, who was able to use his length and fight IQ to control the match. As it got deeper into the rounds, ‘The Nomad’ started using his headbutts with great effect. The fight would end in a draw because the only way to win is by knockout. However, if you don’t beat the champion, you don’t get the belt.
Hardcore
Leduc looks to take a massive step forward in 2019 and increase his profile. There is no doubt that some MMA promotions will be looking at him with interest, both because of his ability and marketability. Lethwei stars like Phoe Thaw have already been signed by ONE Championship, and that’s where the money is to be made.
He’s also been linked to a fight against Chinese kickboxing star Yi Long. Billed as a ‘Shaolin Monk’, the Chinese fighter is immensely popular in his homeland and has fought world-class opposition like Buakaw in the past. A fight against him would definitely bring a new audience to Lethwei.
There’s no doubt that Lethwei is here to stay. Of course, it is: it’s possibly the single-most entertaining and devastating sport to watch on the planet.
