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'' The most brutal striking art Beats Muay Thai '' - Lethwei post by UNSPADA@YAHOO.COM

Cyrus Washington ( USA/ Muay Thai ) vs Too Too ( Myanmar / Myanmar Lethwei ) 

Now, let’s start by acknowledging some facts. Firstly, I was a Muay Thai regional director in the USA because of my fighting/training and knowledge of the sport. Secondly, I fought Muay Thai in Thailand 20 times–one of those times on Thai National TV. Thirdly, I trained at various gyms in Thailand with several ex stadium champions all with different takes on the strategy appropriate for Muay Thai. Fourthly, I  was a ring commentator for the foreign crowds at a stadium in Chiang Mai: I was the one that explained the rules, points and action. Fifthly, I know how difficult the sport is and how hard the training can be.  And finally, I lived the life, trained the life, and fought the life for several years. So, unlike the never been there and never done it crowd of guys, I am an authority. Additionally, those credentials are far from the sum total of my fighting experience. In all honesty,I consider the K1 fights and training in the Netherlands the pinnacle of the striking training/fighting I’ve done (but that’s another story).

After 75 fights on 3 continents I am here to tell you that Muay Thai is dwarfed by another fighting style. Yeah, that’s right, dwarfed by a more brutal, primal, more encompassing fighting method. So while the USA Muay Thai fans  still  struggle to really ever see an authentic Muay Thai fight, replete with Nahm Muay, Ram Muay and the horrid music–they most assuredly have not seen its more brutal cousin. To envision this more brutal cousin take Muay Thai strip it of the ridiculous point system it uses, take away the gloves–that’s right, handwraps only, keep the knees, elbows, shins and fists and then allow headbutts, allow takedowns and throws (using the legs) and body slams, add in more punches and low kicks, then, allow fighters to continue after they’ve been knocked down and out, where only giving up or a long KO  decides a winner and you got it.  But what is it that you have, precisely?  You have Lethwei or Burmese Boxing. The more dangerous, unforgiving, brutal cousin of Muay Thai.

The differences between Muay Thai  and Burmese Boxing are vast to the trained eye and I will not attempt to delineate them here and now. I will just give an overview of Lethwei:  The fighting itself is far more applicable to street defense and MMA cage fighting than Muay Thai ever dreamed of being. The strategy is more primal and final than the calculated and sometimes plodding Muay Thai strategy. The punches more designed to rake and inflict tearing of flesh than the gloved hands of Muay Thai.  And that leaves out the headbutts , throws and body slams. Face the reality: 99.9% of the Martial Arts’ World has no clue about Lethwei.

The stone cold reality is that few people outside of South East Asia know anything about it. As a matter of respect to the real fighters, I do not count the watered down versions that some are trying to pass off in Europe or North America as Lethwei. It’s akin to Pizza Hut passing off its product as authentic Italian Pizza (you want to get an Italian angry–give them Pizza Hut). It’s some idea but it’s not close to the real thing.

A part of my Lethwei history: I was supposed to fight in Burma 4 times–all illegal fights with illegal river border crossings in the famous Golden Triangle (the trip would had been aided by the Army on both sides or it wasn’t happening which meant a night crossing in a canoe both ways from one Army to the other). In the end, however, my trainer didn’t want to go through the trouble of the two day journey (it was much easier to fight any and every day in Thailand).  I lament not doing those fights because the style fits my style much better than the endless Thai clinch knee point style that I faced in many of my 20 fights in Thailand.

Well, I could continue the story but I feel it best to go to some examples of Lethwei (the real thing) Here, then, are some videos:  you will notice the tempo is much higher than in Muay Thai, they throw more punches, low kicks, headbutts and body slams–they even  get KOed and keep fighting. After watching these you might understand why I teach Burmese Boxing as the most Brutal, on Roids Striking System there is. It’s time to bury that Muay Thai propaganda, now isn’t it?

BY UNSPADA@YAHOO.COM · PUBLISHED JUNE 16, 2015 · UPDATED MARCH 29, 2018

Original Post ---> http://www.fluentfighting.com/?p=554

Myanmar Lethwei Facebook Page ---> https://www.facebook.com/mmLethwei/

Learn Lethwei and Burmese Martial Arts ---> https://www.facebook.com/unitedmyanmarbandonation/

Re posted by Liger 

Myanmar Lethwei vs. Muay Thai: Similarities and Differences

Too Too ( Myanmar / Myanmar Lethwei ) vs Cyrus Washington ( USA / Muay Thai ) 

9 Thuts & 9 Mouns of Myanmar Lethwei

Muay Thai is one of the most well-known style of martial arts to come out of Southeast Asia. However, another full-contact combat sport named Lethwei rivals and may even be more deadly than Muay Thai. MMA Life has previously published an article titled “The Burmese Martial Art of Lethwei” that gives a short but detailed overview of Lethwei. The following content compares the two brutal combat sports of Muay Thai and Lethwei, and also evaluates how well their training regimen and technique transfer to MMA.

Stance and Striking Techniques

Lethwei is also known as Burmese bareknuckle boxing and was developed before Muay Thai. Lethwei is believed to be created over a 1000 years ago in Burma. Muay Thai and Lethwei focuses on the stand-up aspect of hand-to-hand combat. Watching these two sports you will see great similarities in their stance and striking techniques. The video below illustrates how fighters from these two martial arts use a square stance and a marching rhythm. In addition to the stance and movement, these fighters tend to distribute most of their weight towards the back leg so they can be light on their front leg. The purpose of this weight distribution is the ability to quickly react with the front leg to check kicks or to perform techniques like push kicks.

The martial art of Muay Thai is known as the “art of the 8 limbs” due to its striking techniques consisting of punches, elbows, kicks and knees. However, Lethwei expands on this by including those previously mentioned techniques as well as allowing their practitioners to strike with their head, therefore giving Lethwei the name of the art of the 9 limbs. The inclusion of headbutts provides a realistic component and devastating tool that would be useful in a street fight where rules and restrictions do not exist. 

Another element that makes Lethwei the more violent combat sport is their lack of hand protection. Currently, Lethwei competitors wear the same gear as Muay Thai practitioners, except their hand protection only consists of gauze wrap and tape. They do not wear any gloves that is commonly seen in international boxing and kickboxing events. 

Clinching techniques are allowed in both combat sports, but referees will break up the two fighters if there is any inactivity. Referees for Lethwei matches seem to have a lower tolerance for clinching action and are much quicker to separate the fighters compared to the ones in Muay Thai. Of course, whenever either fighter hits the ground, the referee will immediately reset the fighters’ position. In clinching situations, the fighters can throw devastating elbows, knees and in Lethwei’s case headbutts. The clinch also provides a powerful tool in disrupting the opponent’s movements and taking them down. These martial artists can also catch kicks and use it to counter their opponent.

Lethwei Rules

In an attempt to grow Lethwei globally, Lethwei organizations changed some of its traditional roots to meet what is commonly seen in the international combat sport scene, such as stricter rules and replacing sandpits with a boxing ring. Previously, Lethwei matches lasted until only one fighter was left standing. Now, Lethwei has 5 3-minute rounds like Muay Thai. While Muay Thai uses a point system for scoring the fights, Lethwei has their own unique and more “primitive” rule to win. Lethwei fighters have to knockout their opponent or cause them to withdraw from the match due to an injury within the 5 rounds time frame. Otherwise, the match ends in a draw.

Muay Thai’s scoring system weighs kicks more than punches, so this type of attack is heavily favored in their matches. Due to Lethwei lack of a scoring system, their fighters tend to incorporate punches more in their striking combinations. Lethwei also has an injury timeout component that does not exist in Muay Thai. This injury timeout rule lets the cornermen revive their fighter that otherwise would not be able to continue in a standard Muay Thai fight. Due to this injury timeout as well as Lethwei’s rules to win and the fighters not wanting to receive a draw result, Lethwei fights can be more aggressive, bloody and reckless compared to Muay Thai. In addition to that, Muay Thai competitors tend to use the first round to feel out their opponent and ease up in the fifth round as well. Lethwei fighters cannot do the same because their rules and culture discourage any attempt to not be aggressive. Otherwise, they can be punish with a humiliating decision by the referee to stop the fight due to lack of aggression by both fighters.

Transition to MMA

Muay Thai techniques have been effectively implemented in MMA by high caliber fighters like Donald Cerrone and UFC champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. A large portion of Muay Thai’s arsenal translate well to MMA. The one big advantage Lethwei has over Muay Thai in relation to MMA is how Lethwei fighters are used to fighting without thick boxing gloves. Those who have done MMA sparring knows the big difference going from sparring with boxing gloves to punching with MMA gloves. Unlike boxing, MMA gloves have less padding to hide behind. Therefore, it requires more movement and structurally sound defense. Those aspiring to compete in MMA will have to break the habit of hiding behind thick boxing gloves, since it is no longer a viable option in actual MMA combat. Therefore, a Muay Thai practitioner transitioning to MMA must adjust their striking defense to adapt for this while Lethwei fighters are already used to it.

The negative aspect of a Lethwei fighter transitioning to MMA is that their time dedicated to headbutt strikes could have been used to sharpen other striking techniques that are legal in MMA. Furthermore, their aggressive and reckless fighting style can cause them to be out of position and more exposed to being taken down. While the martial arts of Muay Thai have gained prominence in MMA, we have to wait and see what the future holds for Lethwei.

Original Post by MMA Fan ----> http://mmalife.com/lethwei-vs-muay-thai-similarities-and-differences/

LETHWEI Facebook Page ---> https://www.facebook.com/mmlethwei

Japanese Lethwei Fighter Kaneko Doing Lek Kha Moun

Lethwei is unarmed Myanmar Martial Art . Lethwei is one aspect of Bando.

Lethwei as Combat Sport ( pic 11 ) is just one of the most lethal 

Martial Arts of Myanmar .

Re posted by Liger 

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