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Lethwei (; IPA: ) or Burmese boxing is a full contact combat sport originating from Myanmar and is considered one of the most brutal martial arts in the world.
Lethwei fighters use stand-up striking techniques such as kicks, knees, elbows and punches, and the use of is also permitted. Fighters compete bareknuckle, wrapping their hands with only tape and gauze.
In Bagan, it exists some carvings on temples and pagodas in the central Myanmar plains, which appear to show pairs of men locked in combat, suggesting the sport is potentially over a thousand years old.
In ancient times, matches were held for entertainment and were popular with every stratum of society. Participation was opened to any male, whether noble or commoner. At that time, matches took place in sand pits instead of rings. Boxers fought without protective equipment, only wrapping their hands in hemp or gauze. There were no draws; the fight went on until one of the participants was knocked out or could no longer continue. Back then, Burmese boxing champions would enter the ring and call for open challenges.
Lethwei went through many years of suppression during the British colonial rule of Burma. The sport was revived under General Ne Win's nationalistic government.Burmese Boxing Sees Revival. Black Belt magazine. September 1970. Unlike Muay Thai, in Lethwei, punches are generally favoured over kicks because of their ability to draw blood more easily. Traditional matches include the Flagship Tournament, which are still fought throughout Myanmar, especially during holidays or celebration festivals like Thingyan. In rural areas, having a skilled child fighter has been a way of escaping poverty.
Kyar Ba Nyein, who participated in boxing at the 1952 Summer Olympics, pioneered modern Lethwei by setting in place modern rules and regulations. He travelled around Myanmar, especially the Mon State and Karen people states, where Lethwei is more actively practiced. After training with some of the fighters, Kyar Ba Nyein brought some to Mandalay and Yangon to compete in matches.
In 1996, the Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation (MTLF), a branch of the Myanmar's Ministry of Health and Sports, added the modern Lethwei rules for the occasion of the Golden Belt Championship in Yangon. The bouts, along with the undercard fights, were organized by the Ministry of Sport, Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation and KSM group. This marked a big addition to the art of Lethwei and potentially would make Burmese boxing more marketable internationally.
On 18 July 2015, ONE Championship held the first Lethwei fight in its history inside a cage at the occasion of in Yangon, Myanmar.
The fight showcased Myanmar fighters Phyan Thway and Soe Htet Oo in a dark match and the result was a draw according to the traditional Lethwei rules.
In 2017, ONE Championship and World Lethwei Championship officially entered into a partnership to share athletes to fight in each other's organization.
On June 30, 2017, ONE Championship held a Lethwei match at between Thway Thit Win Hlaing and Soe Htet Oo. Thway Thit Win Hlaing would end up winning a decision according to WLC point system.
In 2016, Myanmar's first international Lethwei promotion called World Lethwei Championship (WLC) launched its events using the tournament Lethwei rules.
In 2019, the WLC marked history by broadcasting , the first Lethwei event, internationally live on UFC Fight Pass.
From 10 to 11 July 2004, the second event headlining foreigners took place with four Japanese fighters fighting against Burmese fighters. They were mixed martial arts fighters Akitoshi Tamura, Yoshitaro Niimi, Takeharu Yamamoto and Naruji Wakasugi. Tamura knocked out Aya Bo Sein in the second round and became the first foreigner to beat a Myanmar Lethwei practitioner in an official match. International matches continued with the exciting Cyrus Washington vs. Tun Tun Min trilogy.
In 2016, after having previously fought to an explosive draw, Dave Leduc and Tun Tun Min rematched at the Air KBZ Aung Lan Championship in Yangon, Myanmar. The rematch was sweetened by an added bonus: ownership of the Lethwei Openweight World Championship Belt. Leduc became the first non-Burmese fighter to win the Lethwei Golden Belt and become Lethwei world champion after defeating Tun Tun Min in the third round.
Following his title defence, Leduc said in an interview, "I have so much vision for this sport. I see Lethwei doing the same for Myanmar as what Muay Thai has done for Thailand."
On April 18, 2017, for his second title defense under traditional rules, Dave Leduc faced Turkish Australian challenger Adem Yilmaz at in Tokyo, Japan. This marked the first Lethwei World title fight headlining two non-Burmese in the sport's history and for the occasion, the Ambassador of Myanmar to Japan was present at the event held in the Korakuen Hall.
On July 10, 2025, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship co-owners Conor McGregor and David Feldman made a number announcements in Hollywood, Florida. One of the announcements included acquisition of majority shares in a Lethwei promotion in Asia.
This invitation to fight is inspired from the birds of prey, like the eagle, as they flap their wings when flying and hunting.
Before modernisation, especially in colonial times, the pre-fight dance was more commonly referred to as han yay (ဟန်ရေး). Performed in accordance with the tempo of the traditional orchestra (ဆိုင်း), it incorporated a much more elaborate dance and show of skills. Boastful poetry was sometimes recited along with the dance.
The use of the feet, hands, knees, elbows and head is permitted.
Rounds
Each bout can be booked as a 3, 4 or 5 round fight with 3 minutes per round and a 2-minute break in between rounds. Championship bouts are 5 round fights with 3 minutes per round and a 2-minute break between rounds.
Fighting attire
The Burmese bareknuckle boxing rules prohibits the use of gloves.
The fighters are required to apply the wrapping in front of the fight officials, who will endorse the wraps.
Referee
One referee oversees the fight. The referee has the power to:
At the end of the match, in the eventuality that there is no knockout or stoppage, if the two fighters are still standing, even if one fighter dominated the fight, the match is declared a draw. Fighters can win by incapacitating their rivals in a few different ways.
Promotions that use traditional rules
There is only one Golden Belt champion for each weight categories, with the openweight class champion being considered the strongest fighter in Myanmar. The openweight Golden Belt champion is the equivalent of being pound-for-pound champion in the world of Lethwei.
Judging criteria
The knockout is still highly desired under this ruleset, but in the event that a bout goes the distance, judges will present a decision. The 3 judges should score the bout based on:
Fighters have a maximum of 3 knockdowns per round and 4 knockdowns in the entire fight before the fight is ruled a knockout.
Elbows can be used to great effect as blocks or defenses against, for example, spring knees, side body knees, body kicks or punches. When well connected, an elbow strike can cause serious damage to the opponent, including cuts or even a knockout.
Note - The Myanmar English spelling and phonetics based spelling are two different things. The words used are phonetics based words which are more friendly and easy to pronounce for non-Myanmar speaking people. The phonetics wording is provided by Liger Paing from Bando.
| Light flyweight | Female |
| Flyweight | Male / female |
| Bantamweight | Male / female |
| Featherweight | Male / female |
| Lightweight | Male / female |
| Light welterweight | Male / female |
| Welterweight | Male |
| Light middleweight | Male |
| Middleweight | Male |
| Super middleweight | Male |
| Cruiserweight | Male |
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