Dave Leduc Wears The Crown Of World Lethwei Champion

When it comes to the top spot in Lethwei, there is only Dave Leduc.

The 28-year-old from Quebec is regarded as one of the top Lethwei fighters in the world, and calls the World Lethwei Championship home.

Known as “The Nomad” and “The Steel Giraffe,” Leduc has quickly risen up the ranks in the world of Lethwei.

Four years ago, Leduc became the first non-Burmese fighter to win the Lethwei Golden Belt with a victory over Tun Tun Min at the Aung Lan Championship in Yangon. It turned out to be quite the year for him, as he also married Russian Moldovan writer and model, Irina Terehova, in a nationally televised event.

College dropout pic.twitter.com/2EqISaMevO

— Dave Leduc (@kingleduc) March 1, 2020

“I’d like us to keep on the roll we’re on; bringing on more international fighters and the next generation of fighters,” Leduc said in an interview with Bloody Elbow. “I’m focusing a lot on the online Lethwei academy I’m gonna launch soon. We already have some affiliated striking schools in the United States and in Europe, so people can discover Lethwei and follow our curriculum. And hopefully a next generation of fighters can come out of it. We also want to organize trips to Myanmar, to help people discover the culture, train, and see some fights. So I’m really looking forward to that.”

Part of the Patenaude Martial Arts team since 2009, Leduc is trained in Lethwei, Sanshou and Jeet Kune Do.

Martial arts were not his first sport of choice, as he began playing baseball at an early age. However, by the time he was 17 years old, Leduc began training under Sifu Patrick Marcil at Kung Fu Patenaude.

Dave Leduc Wears The Crown Of World Lethwei Champion

His early trainings includes practices that would eventually lead him to success in Lethwei including the use of headbutts and bare knuckle bag sessions.

I will be attending the WLC 12 event in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 3rd. The first WLC @worldlethwei international event outside of Myanmar. History will be made. It’s gonna starting the ball rolling for other countries, USA & Japan are already in the plans. ???

— Dave Leduc (@kingleduc) February 17, 2020

In 2019, Leduc found his way to the World Lethwei Championship, scoring a victory over UFC veteran Seth Backzynski at WLC 9: King of Nine Limbs in Mandalay, Myanmar. The victory earned him the Cruiserweight World Lethwei Championship.

“I liked what they were doing; the grandiose aspect, and the global vision they had for Lethwei,” Leduc said. “I thought, ‘Why not join forces and do something great?’ We got on UFC Fight Pass and it’s just the beginning.

“We share a vision for the sport and I signed an exclusive contract. I think I’ll retire with (WLC).”

He also is the Lethwei World Champion in the openweight division, earning eight successful title defenses.

How to knockout a human 101#Lethwei pic.twitter.com/xggXDlwBWy

— Dave Leduc (@kingleduc) February 11, 2020