Lethwei, coming soon

A traditional Southeast Asian martial art is set to launch as a major international combat league not just in the region, but all over the world. Lethwei, one of the most common fighting arts in Myanmar, has started to intrigue investors and spectators because of its unique – and extremely physical – rules.

“I really like being in Thailand. The striking; the elbows, the kicks, the knees of muay thai,” says Nick Chapman, founder of Lethwei Fighting Championship (LFC), who also ran Bareknuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) in Asia. “I came across lethwei – with the headbutts, and bare knuckle, and I absolutely loved it. I thought it was incredible. Once I got to understand the sport a lot better, I realized that it needs its own platform.”

Also known as Burmese boxing or the dance of the nine limbs, lethwei incorporates striking with fists, elbows, kicks and knees, and adds headbutts, which are very dangerous in clinching and close quarters. No gloves are worn. Fights go on for five three-minute rounds, with two-minute rests in between. Kicks and sweeps are also permitted, as the sport was designed to ultimately knock out an opponent. A fighter who is knocked out in the first four rounds is also given two minutes to recover, and if he is able to continue, the fight goes on.

“I’ve been in the combat sports industry for 25 years,” says Chapman, who has been all over the world as a mixed martial arts and kickboxing fighter, trainer, and referee. “I’ve seen it all. But nothing is as exciting as lethwei. When I went to the Myanmar Lethwei World Championships, it just blew me away. I just got addicted to it. It’s an all-out war from the very second the fight starts.”

Of course, the raw basic sport needed refinement, so Chapman drafted strict rules to streamline fights and also protect the fighters, with the permission of the international federation.

He retained the bare knuckles, kicks and headbutts, but removed the two-minute revival rules in deference to studies on concussion rates and international rules enforcing mandatory rest for fighters who have been knocked out. He has also innovated by using a state-of-the-art, AI-powered scoring system, developed by Chapman’s tech team in Singapore. LFC will still employ human judges, but the AI will count the number of strikes attempted and landed, and compile data for the judges, who will concentrate on aggression, damage and pace of each fighter.

“We’re keeping the essence of lethwei. We’re still going to keep that aggressive style, that knockout-favored approach. But we’re going to add an element of data to it, so that the judges can use that,” Chapman assures. “We’re not going to do the knockout only rule. But we’re going to make sure that every fight has a winner and a loser. So those are the only two things we’re changing: we’re removing the two-minute revival rule, and we’re adding the scoring system.”

This early, Chapman’s phone has constantly been ringing with inquiries from other parts of Asia, and even Europe. The buzz around lethwei is growing, and it will soon come to the Philippines. It is one more opportunity to exhibit Asians’ warrior spirit, and elevate a homegrown sport to a global spectacle and profession.

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