"The Nomad" — openweight, modern
First non-Myanmar fighter to win the Openweight Golden Belt in December 2016. Canadian-born, former MMA competitor who committed to traditional Lethwei and became the sport's most visible international ambassador. Known for aggressive clinch work, brutal headbutts, and a willingness to walk into exchanges.
→ Flying headbutt from the clinch
Dave Leduc is recorded at 14–2–2, with 11 of those 14 wins ending by knockout. Modern-era figures are the more dependable ones on this site: WLC and MTLF cards are sanctioned and their results published, so these numbers can be checked against event results rather than oral history.
79% of those wins came inside the distance, which ranks 1st of the 29 profiled fighters with a documented record. In a sport whose traditional ruleset offered no decision at all, a finishing rate that high is the clearest signal of a fighter built to end contests early.
Dave Leduc is one of 3 fighters profiled at openweight, and fights orthodox, as 28 of the 32 profiled fighters do.
Dave Leduc is listed as active, so this record is a snapshot rather than a final tally.
The Golden Belt rematch that made Leduc the first non-Myanmar Openweight champion. Leduc adjusted to Tun Tun Min's clinch pressure by establishing the headbutt early, scoring two cuts in the second and breaking the Burmese Python's rhythm by round three.
A spinning back elbow finish in under ninety seconds, on the WLC card that introduced millions of MMA fans to Lethwei. The clip remains one of the most-shared knockouts in the sport's social-media era.
The trilogy bout. Leduc closed the rivalry with a flying knee setup he had drilled specifically for Tun Tun Min's defensive shell, and walked out as the most decorated international Lethwei champion in history.
“I came to Myanmar to test myself against the best, in their rules, on their soil. Anything less wouldn't have meant anything.”