Listicle

TOP 10 KNOCKOUTS

Ten finishes that defined Lethwei. Ranked, annotated, argued about forever.

9 min readUpdated: 2026-04

Picking the ten greatest knockouts in a sport without gloves and without judges is subjective. These are the finishes that have travelled the farthest — the ones repeated on YouTube compilations, debated in Karen village gyms, and cited by trainers trying to explain what makes Lethwei different. Your list will differ. Argue about it.

1
Dave Leduc def. Cyrus Washington
Method
Headbutt KO
When
December 2016
Round
Round 3
The knockout that announced Dave Leduc to the world and made him the first non-Myanmar Openweight Golden Belt champion. Leduc closed the distance on the cage, slipped inside Washington's jab, and fired a frontal headbutt that dropped the American instantly. The referee waved it off before Leduc had finished his follow-up.
Why it matters
Considered the watershed moment of modern international Lethwei.
MTLF Golden Belt, Yangon
2
Tun Tun Min def. Cyrus Washington
Method
Left hook to the liver
When
2014
Round
Round 2
A technical masterpiece disguised as a brawl. Tun Tun Min absorbed a clean cross from Washington, rolled underneath it, and countered with a compact left hook that found the liver at a perfect angle. Washington dropped, clutched his side, and could not beat the count.
Why it matters
The textbook example of a Myanmar body-punching finish.
Yangon Circus Arena
3
Too Too def. Saw Htoo Aung
Method
Clinch knee to the floating ribs
When
2007
Round
Round 4
Too Too at his clinch-fighting peak. After three rounds of grinding forearm work, he trapped Saw Htoo Aung against the ropes and delivered a rising knee into the short ribs. Saw Htoo Aung folded forward and could not draw breath for the count.
Why it matters
A sandpit-era finish that captured everything Myanmar fight fans love about traditional Lethwei.
Thingyan Festival, Yangon
4
Dave Leduc def. Seth Baczynski
Method
Spinning elbow
When
2017
Round
Round 1
A highlight-reel finish less than ninety seconds into the opening round. Leduc feinted a level change, pivoted off his lead foot, and landed a back elbow flush on Baczynski's temple. The former UFC veteran was unconscious before he hit the canvas.
Why it matters
The clip that introduced millions of MMA fans to Lethwei on social media.
World Lethwei Championship, Yangon
5
Tun Tun Min def. Dave Leduc
Method
TKO (corner stoppage)
When
2017
Round
Round 3
The Python's first win over The Nomad and one of the most emotionally charged finishes in modern Lethwei. Tun Tun Min broke Leduc's rhythm with a steady liver attack, landed a clean cross that opened a cut, and the Leduc corner called the fight between rounds. The crowd in Yangon erupted.
Why it matters
The fight that sparked the Leduc–Tun Tun Min trilogy.
Yangon
6
Lone Chaw def. Aung La N Sang
Method
Stepping elbow over the jab
When
2011
Round
Round 2
Karen precision at its finest. Lone Chaw stepped inside the long jab, rotated his shoulder, and scraped the point of the elbow across Aung La N Sang's brow. The cut bled so heavily the fight was stopped between rounds.
Why it matters
A technical elbow that Karen trainers still break down frame-by-frame.
Yangon sandpit card
7
Saw Gyi def. Unknown challenger
Method
Headbutt off a parry
When
circa 1996
Round
Round 1
A piece of Karen sandpit folklore. Saw Gyi is said to have parried a heavy right hand, hooked his left around the opponent's neck, and driven the crown of his skull into the bridge of the challenger's nose. Witness accounts describe the fight ending before a single punch had been traded clean.
Why it matters
Records are incomplete — this one is preserved by oral history.
Hpa-An festival card
8
Artur Saladiak def. Souvaru Masato
Method
Four-punch combination into knee
When
2019
Round
Round 2
The Polish middleweight at his sequencing best. Saladiak walked Masato into the ropes with a jab-cross-hook-cross chain, then launched a jumping knee that sealed the cut above Masato's eye. The ringside doctor waved it off before the count reached five.
Why it matters
Often cited as proof that European Lethwei had matured.
WLC, Mandalay
9
Souris Manfredi def. Mahmoud Sattari
Method
Spinning elbow off the clinch break
When
2019
Round
Round 3
Manfredi sold a clinch break, half-turned as though resetting, and then uncorked a full spinning back elbow that landed flush on Sattari's jawline. The first major highlight-reel finish in the women's division of the WLC era.
Why it matters
The reference point every WLC women's card now measures itself against.
WLC Women's Strawweight
10
Naimjon Tukhtaboyev def. Seksan Saeyang
Method
Switch-kick to the body
When
2020
Round
Round 1
The Uzbek welterweight's calling card. Tukhtaboyev feinted the jab, switched his stance mid-step, and buried a rear leg kick into Seksan's floating ribs. The Thai fighter took a knee, tried to rise, and could not.
Why it matters
A Central Asian finish that expanded Lethwei's map.
WLC, Naypyidaw