Lethwei

Myanmar's bare-knuckle full-contact combat sport — punches, kicks, elbows, knees and headbutts are all legal.

👥1 per team🌤indoor

What is Lethwei?

Lethwei is Myanmar's national combat sport — a bareknuckle, full-contact striking art in which punches, kicks, elbows, knees and headbutts are all legal. Fights are contested over five three-minute rounds. Traditional rules are win-by-knockout only; modern federations allow decisions. World Lethwei Championship promotes the professional sport internationally.

Quick facts

Category

Combat Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇲🇲 Myanmar

Estimated origin

Ancient Myanmar (Pyu Empire era, ~1st century)

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified