World Lethwei Championship plans 2020 debut in U.S., eyes free-agent signings

The ancient art of lethwei has a 1,000-year history in Myanmar, but one man is now hoping to spread the sport around the globe.

“Lethwei is kind of the ultimate striking martial art,” World Lethwei Championship president Gerald Ng told MMA Junkie. It might not be for everybody right now, but it will be eventually.”

Contested in a ring, lethwei is a full-contact striking art that allows punches, kicks, elbows, knees and even headbutts. The fighters also compete without gloves, only using hand wraps to support the fist. At first glance, it might seem to resemble muay Thai, but Ng doesn’t believe that’s a fair description.

“Because of the differences in the rules and because the sport has evolved over the years, the techniques involved are completely different,” Ng said. “Right now, a lot of lethwei gyms here teach completely different stuff that could actually work in MMA fights, it just hasn’t been used as prevalently as other sports, this whole arsenal of strikes that are waiting to be discovered.”

On Friday, World Lethwei Championship 11 streams live on UFC Fight Pass from Myanmar. In the main event, middleweight champion Too Too takes on Uzbekistan’s Naimjon Tuhtabpyev. Ng believes it will be a thrilling contest that is certain to make headlines in Myanmar, but he also understands it’s a hard sell for a global audience. However, he said the organization does have plans to help appeal to a broader fanbase.

“We have huge plans in 2020 to expand globally, beginning with Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, and we’re going to do our first show in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of this year,” Ng said. “We believe that there’s a legitimate position within the whole mainstream sports landscape for lethwei content.

“What we are going to do as we expand with more events and more shows internationally is get more recognizable names to compete in Lethwei. It’s really, really exciting times, and any major name that becomes a free agent right now, we are going to be going in there with an offer.”

Ng said he plans on signing recognizable UFC veterans, as well as champions from other martial arts, as well. And while he realizes education is key for bringing awareness to his company, he thinks the sport is destined for growth.

“People have become conditioned to MMA, and when you talk to an MMA fan now, you think that it’s so easily accepted,” Ng said. “But it wasn’t like that 20 years ago, and that’s basically where we are at right now. We believe that we can go on a similar trajectory for lethwei.”