The first foreign holder of a lethwei title, Dave “The Nomad” Leduc, has signed with a growing promotion focused on elevating the ancient martial art to the global stage.
The Canadian, whose lethwei titles include a national openweight championship, joined World Lethwei Championship (WLC) as a competitor and ambassador in the latest boost for one of Asia’s fastest growing sports.
Leduc is expected to make his promotional debut in August, and the fight will be available on Canal+ in Myanmar and on worldwide streaming service UFC Fight Pass, which recently agreed to broadcast WLC.
“Lethwei is the sport that I love and I want to continue to be the face and voice of the sport as it takes over the world,” said Leduc, a Quebec-native who is undefeated in lethwei.
Leduc’s road to becoming a Golden Belt champion saw him draw with lethwei legends Too Too and Tun Tun Min before defeating the latter via TKO.
Then, last December, Leduc and Tun Tun Min drew again in their trilogy match, a clash touted as the biggest in the sport’s history. For his next opponent, WLC is looking for a former UFC veteran.
Some fans will be surprised to see Leduc signing with WLC because the athlete has previously argued against the promotion’s point system, saying it tainted the purity of the traditional win or draw rules.
But he admitted to MMA news site The Fight Nation earlier this week that his views on the matter were somewhat misinformed.
He said there were examples of a points system being used as early as 1996 meaning it was not an invention of WLC.
“That was kind of shocking for me to learn,” he said. “But I don’t regret it. I did what I thought was the right thing at the time.
“I always respected the quality of shows WLC was putting. There’s no reason for me to be against WLC’s efforts in promoting lethwei.”
The agreement will see Leduc compete exclusively for WLC, as well as adopt an ambassadorial role for the sport and the brand.
World Lethwei Championship chairman U Zay Thiha said: “We are committed to growing the sport of lethwei on the international stage and the acquisition of the most recognisable fighter in lethwei history will help us in our continued growth.”
