Sparta Sports & Entertainment returns January 30th with Sparta Wyoming V at The Outlaw Saloon in Cheyenne, Wyoming. This event will see a 125-pound Ammy kickboxing title fight go down between Isiah Torres and Aaron “Savage” Lopez.
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Isiah Torres trains at Ultimate Performance and Childress Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Pueblo, Colorado. Sparta fans last saw Torres face Manuel LaCrue in a boxing scrap at Sparta Wyoming III back in September. Torres came away with the unanimous decision win. Can he repeat that impressive performance against Lopez and earn a title belt in the process?
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“Savage” Lopez trains at Peak Kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu in Lakewood, Colorado. Lopez had a spectacular third-round knockout over December Htoo back in November of 2019. Immediately after the start of the third round, Lopez ran across the cage and caught Htoo with a jumping front kick, sending him crashing to the mat. Will Lopez be able to catch lightning in the bottle again on his way to a championship belt?
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How To Watch Sparta Wyoming V
Sparta Wyoming V will be available to watch live on PPV and tickets to attend in person will be available to purchase soon via Sparta’s website. Stay tuned for more fight announcements.
Looking for a way to improve your reflexes? Check out Champs MMA Boxing Reflex Ball over at Amazon!
It’s fight day people! UFC 256 is finally here. The prelims will be starting at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the main card kicking off at 10:00 p.m. ET. Deiveson Figueiredo will defend his Flyweight Championship against Brandon Moreno just three weeks after his impressive first-round submission of Alex Perez at UFC 255. That’s right, Figueiredo is jumping back into the octagon just 21 days after defending his title for the first time. And his opponent, Moreno, also fought on the UFC 255 card, defeating Brandon Royval by TKO in the first round of their fight. This is an absolute banger of a main event!
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The co-main event will see Tony Ferguson take on Charles Oliveira in a lightweight scrap that is sure to entertain. Ferguson last fought against Justin Gaethje back at UFC 249 in May of 2020, losing by TKO in the fifth round. He was on a 12-fight win streak before running into Gaethje and suffered his first loss since 2012. Oliveira last fought against Kevin Lee in March of 2020, beating him by a guillotine in the third round. He is currently on a seven-fight win streak, all finishes, with six performance of the night bonuses during that time. With the Lightweight Championship currently vacated, the result of this fight could very well decide who competes next for the title in the near future.
ONE: Big Bang II is nearly here! On December 11th, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, ONE Championship is wrapping up their Big Bang series with a card that is sure to entertain. The card will start at 8:30 p.m. in Singapore, which is 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time in the US. This card is a pre-recorded event but is being shown for the first time. Catch it on the ONE Super App or visit the ONE website for details on specific markets.
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This card is headlined by a flyweight Muay Thai scrap between Taiki Naito and Jonathan Haggerty. These are two very good Muay Thai fighters with a lot of experience under their belt. The co-main event will see a lightweight kickboxing scrap go down between Nieky Holzken and Elliot Compton. This fight could decide who fights next for the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing Title.
Bellator 254 is live! The main event is a highly anticipated clash for the Bellator Women’s Flyweight World Title between Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and Juliana Velasquez. Both fighters are undefeated and will be looking to keep it that way. The co-main event will be a bantamweight scrap between Magomed Magomedov and Matheus Mattos that is sure to be a banger.
I will be covering the event live so check back for updates as the night goes on! Make sure you check out my Bellator 254 Predictions and play along to see how you do!
Update: The Davion Franklin vs Anthony Garrett fight has been scrapped after Garrett was not cleared to compete. Romero Cotton vs Justin Sumter has been bumped up to the main card.
Looking for a way to improve your reflexes? Check out Champs MMA Boxing Reflex Ball over at Amazon!
Bellator 254kicks off shortly! Fans are in for an exciting night of fights tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena. You can catch the prelims over at the CBS Sports website starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. The main card will start at 10:00 p.m. ET and will be available to watch on the CBS Sports Network.
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This card features many exciting prospects, with nine of the fighters coming into the card with undefeated records. All five of the prelim fights will see an undefeated fighter attempting to keep that zero in the loss column. Grant Neal is looking to keep his impressive start going with his eyes set on a light heavyweight title fight in the near future. Magomed Magomedov and Matheus Mattos only have one loss each, and both fighters will be giving it their all to ensure that the one doesn’t turn into a two. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and Juliana Velasquez clash for the Flyweight World Title, with neither fighter having suffered a defeat before.
Update: The Davion Franklin vs Anthony Garrett fight has been scrapped after Garrett was not cleared to compete. Romero Cotton vs Justin Sumter has been bumped up to the main card.
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Bonus Predictions
As always, these bonus predictions are purely for fun. Now let’s get crazy!
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane wins by RNC in the third round.
Magomed Magomedov wins by unanimous decision.
Grant Neal gets the KO in round one.
Kenny Champion gets the KO in round three.
Robson Gracie Jr. wins by guillotine in round one.
Looking for a way to improve your reflexes? Check out Champs MMA Boxing Reflex Ball over at Amazon!
Drop your Bellator 254 predictions in the comments below and track your record along with me!
UFC Vegas 16 has arrived! As is the theme with 2020, this card had some drama surrounding the main event. Jack Hermansson was originally set to face Darren Till, then Till withdrew due to an injury. After that, Kevin Holland stepped up but was forced to withdraw due to a positive COVID test. Then, the UFC tapped Marvin Vettori as the next replacement. Vettori was originally scheduled to face Jacare Souza at UFC 256 but agreed to step in to save the main event. Now fans will be treated to an absolute banger of a headliner.
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The co-main event will see Ovince Saint Preux take on Jamahal Hill in a light heavyweight scrap that is sure to entertain. Hill is just one of four undefeated fighters on the card. Joining Hill in hoping to keep their unbeaten streaks alive are Roman Dolidze, Jordan Leavitt,and Ilia Topuria. Will they be able to keep that zero in the win column?
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Check out my official predictions for UFC Vegas 16here. Follow along as I cover the event on my Twitter (@jefflswartz2) and check back for updated results below!
Fight day is here! UFC Vegas 16 is going down tonight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. This card will feature a very exciting match-up between Jack Hermansson and Marvin Vettori. Hermansson originally was set to face Kevin Holland, until Holland had a positive COVID test, forcing the UFC to switch things up. Vettori was set to face Jacare Souza at UFC 256 but stepped up on short notice to save the main event of UFC Vegas 16.
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The co-main event will see an always game Ovince Saint Preux take on an angry and motivated Jamahal Hill. The owner of four Von Flue Choke submission wins in the UFC, St Preux will be looking to add another finish to his already impressive resume. Hill is coming off of a ridiculous six-month suspension for a positive marijuana test that also resulted in his last win being overturned. Needless to say, UFC fans should be in for a great night of fights!
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I went 5-5 last week, getting the main and co-main event correct. How will I fare this week? Without further ado, let’s get to the picks!
LFA 96 is going down on December 4, 2020, at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas. The card will be starting at 9:00 p.m. ET and will be airing live on UFC Fight Pass.
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The main event will see Maycon Mendonça and Batsumberel Dagvador face off for the vacant LFA Welterweight Championship! This scrap is sure to entertain. The co-main will see Anthony Romero, who just won on Dana White’s Contender Series but did not earn a contract, fight Zach Juusola, who last fought for BKFC. Let’s get to the results!
Legacy Fighting Alliance has another banger of an event for MMA fans tonight! LFA 96 will be coming to you live from the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas. Things will be kicking off at 9:00 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass.
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This card will feature a highly-anticipated title fight for the vacant LFA Welterweight Championship between Maycon Mendonça and Batsumberel Dagvadorj. The co-main will see Anthony Romero vs Zach Juusola. Romero just won on Dana White’s Contender Series in August but did not get a contract. Juusola, who is filling in for Alex Trinidad on short notice, last fought for BKFC, defeating Fred Pierce. Without further ado, let’s get to the picks!
ONE Championship kicked December off with a Big Bang on Friday, December 4th. The card had lost its main event fight, Roman Kyrklia vs Murat Aygun, just days before the event. Nevertheless, this card was full of action from beginning to end.
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Rita Phogut kicked the night off with a beautiful performance to set the tone. Bokang Masunyane earned a thundering first found KO over Rene Catalan. Garry Tonon was very impressive in his win over Koyomi Matsushima. And Marat Grigorian was able to add yet another huge KO win to his resume. Let’s take a look at the full results.
Looking for a way to improve your reflexes? Check out Champs MMA Boxing Reflex Ball over at Amazon!
What’s Next For ONE Championship?
The next ONE event will be ONE: Big Bang II, which will be shown on December 11th. This card will feature two highly-anticpated match-ups. The main event will be a Muay Thai flyweight showdown between Taiki Naito and Jonathan Haggerty. The co-main will be a lightweight kickboxing scrap between Nieki Holzken and Elliot Compton.
ONE: Big Bang is nearly here! On December 4th, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, ONE Championship is kicking off three straight weekends of events with a card that is sure to be a banger. The card will start at 8:30 p.m. in Singapore, which is 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Catch it on the ONE Super App or visit the ONE website for details on specific markets.
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The main event will feature a fight for the ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship between Roman Kryklia and Murat Aygun. The co-main event will be a featherweight MMA scrap between Koyomi Matsushima and Garry Tonon that features two high-level mixed martial artists. Without further ado, let’s get to the picks!
Updates: Roman Kryklia vs Murat Aygunfight postponed due to one of Kyrklia’s coaches testing positive. Murat Aygun will face Anderson Silva instead. A fight between Bi Nguyen and Jihin Radzuan was added to the card. A fight between Andy Souwer and Zhang Chunyu was added to the card.
Updated ONE: Big Bang card via ONE Championship.
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Bonus Predictions
As always, these bonus predictions are purely for fun. Now let’s get crazy!
Roman Kryklia wins within two minutes of the start of the fight.
Garry Tonon wins by RNC.
Marat Grigorian gets a big KO win over Ivan Kondratev.
Rene Catalan bounces back with a unanimous decision win.
Ritu Phogat starts the night off with a big TKO.
Looking for a way to improve your reflexes? Check out Champs MMA Boxing Reflex Ball over at Amazon!
Drop your ONE: Big Bang predictions in the comments below and track your record along with me!
ONE Championship will be kicking off three straight weekends of events with a Big Bang on Friday, December 4th. This card features some very exciting fights, including a showdown for ONE’s Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship. In addition to that, One: Big Bang will also see an MMA featherweight fight that could decide the next title challenger. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what’s in store for ONE: Big Bang.
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Main Card (8:30 p.m. SGT | 7:30 a.m. ET)
Roman KrykliavsMurat Aygun – Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship fightFight Postponed due to one of Kyrklia’s coaches testing positive.
ONE is attempting to replace Amir Aliakbari’s opponent after Islam Abasov withdrew from the fight. If they are able to find a replacement opponent, ONE fans will be able to enjoy some heavyweight MMA action.
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How To Watch ONE: Big Bang
The event starts at 8:30 p.m. Singapore time and will be available to stream all over the world. The entire event will be streamed on the ONE Super App. For more specific details on how to watch in select markets, check out this link!
UFC Vegas 15 is finally here! The arrival of this card wasn’t without its drama. We lost the main event, Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis, on Friday just before the weigh-ins due to a positive test by Blaydes. Anthony Smith vs Devin Clark was tapped to replace the main event, with both fighters agreeing to go from three rounds to five.
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Anthony Smith has three losses in his last four fights, including two straight losses this year. He will be looking to end 2020 with a big win to get back on track for 2021. Can Smith get back into the win column?
Meanwhile, Devin Clark has won his last two fights, both by unanimous decision. He last lost to Ryan Spann at UFC on ESPN+ 19. Can Clark make it three wins in a row?
Follow along as I cover the event on my Twitter (@jefflswartz2) and check back for updated UFC Vegas 15 results below!
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Main Card (10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT)
Anthony Smith (33-16) vs Devin Clark (12-4) Result: Anthony Smith defeats Devin Clark by triangle choke (2:34 Round 1). Smith improves to 34-16. Clark falls to 12-5.
Miguel Baeza (9-0) vs Takashi Sato (16-3) Result: Miguel Baeza defeats Takashi Sato by arm-triangle choke (4:28 Round 2). Baeza improves to 10-0. Sato falls to 16-4.
Josh Parisian (13-3) vs Parker Porter (10-6) Result: Parker Porter defeats Josh Parisian by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28). Porter improves to 11-6. Parisian falls to 13-4.
Spike Carlyle (9-2) vs Bill Algeo (13-5) Result: Bill Algeo defeats Spike Carlyle by Unanimous Decision (30-27×3). Algeo improves to 14-5. Carlyle falls to 9-3.
Ashlee Evans-Smith (6-4) vs Norma Dumont (4-1) Result: Norma Dumont defeats Ashlee Evans-Smith by Unanimous Decision (30-26×3). Dumont improves to 5-1. Evans-Smith falls to 6-5.
Jonathan Pearce (9-4) vs Kai Kamaka III (8-2) Result: Jonathan Pearce defeats Kai Kamaka III by TKO (4:28 Round 2). Pearce improves to 10-4. Kamaka falls to 8-3.
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Prelims (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT)
Martin Day (8-4) vs Anderson Dos Santos (20-8) Result: Anderson Dos Santos defeats Martin Day by guillotine (4:35 Round 1). Dos Santos improves to 21-8. Day falls to 8-5.
Gina Mazany (6-4) vs Rachael Ostovich (4-5) Result: Gina Mazany defeats Rachael Ostovich by TKO (4:10 Round 3). Mazany improves to 7-4. Ostovich falls to 4-6.
Su Mudaerji (12-4) vs Malcolm Gordon (12-4) Result: Su Mudaerji defeats Malcolm Gordon by KO (0:44 Round 1). Muaerji improves to 13-4. Gordon falls to 12-5.
Luke Sanders (13-3) vs Nate Maness (12-1) Result: Nate Maness defeats Luke Sanders by RNC (2:29 Round 2). Maness improves to 13-1. Sanders falls to 13-4.
UFC Vegas 15 is going down tonight! Anthony Smith vs Devin Clark will be headlining the event after the Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis fight was scrapped due to Blaydes testing positive. Barring any other last-minute cancelations, the card is set and we have an exciting night of action ahead of us!
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Starting with this card, I will be making my official predictions in article form and keeping track of how I do. Without further ado, let’s get to the picks!
In addition to picking the winner of each fight, I will also be offering up some other predictions on what I think will go down. These bonus predictions will be purely for fun and the results of these predictions won’t be officially tracked. Now that the explanation is out of the way, let’s get crazy!
Anthony Smith wins by KO in the second round.
Miguel Baeza stays undefeated with a huge KO win over Takashi Sato.
Josh Parisian edges out Parker Porter by unanimous decision and gets his first UFC win.
Spike Carlyle gets back into the win column with a submission win over Bill Algeo.
Ashlee Evans-Smith earns a close decision win over Norma Dumont.
Kai Kamaka III defeats Jonathan Pearce by unanimous decision.
Drop your predictions in the comments below and track your record along with me!
This is a question that all of Myanmar knows the answer to and the rest of the world is learning. Dave Leduc is the best in the world at what he does. He is the King of Lethwei and is the most important asset that the World Lethwei Championship has. But how good is he, really? The answer to that is simple: Leduc is a once in a lifetime talent in the sport of Lethwei.
There are many factors that put Dave in a league of his own. With the help of Sifu Patrick Marcil, his abilities inside the ring have been tested in 12 professional Lethwei fights, having never suffered defeat. He has the ideal body for a Lethwei fighter. The style in which he attacks and his instincts inside the ring is very hard to defend against. And finally, the way he is able to market himself and the sport of Lethwei is truly impressive.
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Let’s take a more detailed look at what makes Dave Leduc the unquestioned King of Lethwei.
Leduc Has Never Been Defeated
Leduc has yet to suffer a defeat in Lethwei action, with a record of six wins, zero losses, and six draws. He has fought in 12 professional Lethwei fights and still maintains the zero in his loss column. That is impressive stuff, especially when you consider the level of competition he has faced. Fighting at his walking around weight of 175 pounds, Dave often fights heavier opponents, never backing down from a worthy challenger.
Dave has gone against some of the best the sport has to offer already in his career. His first career Lethwei fight was in 2016 against an undefeated Too Too, who had 34 wins under his belt. Dave quickly earned the love of Myanmar with his performance inside the ring against Too Too.
He wrapped up 2016 with his second and third professional Lethwei bouts, both against the legendary Tun Tun Min. The first fight resulted in a draw, but Dave impressed enough to earn a second fight just two months later, this time for the Openweight Lethwei Golden Belt! Dave put together a very impressive performance and stopped Tun Tun Min in the third round, winning the Golden Belt. In winning the Golden Belt, Dave became the first, and only, non-Burmese fighter to accomplish that honor. And the championships didn’t stop there.
Dave would then travel to Japan to fight for the International Lethwei Federation Japan organization. He defended his title for the first time against Phoe Kay, winning by KO in just the second round. His second fight in Japan was against Adem Yilmaz, which resulted in the third draw of Dave’s career and second title defense. Dave dislocated his finger in the second round of the fight but managed to tough it out for the draw. Dave impressed the fans watching with his toughness and ability to keep landing strikes after the injury.
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Next, Dave faced 2-times MuayThai World Champion Nilmungkorn Sudsakorngym for the ILFJ Openweight World Championship. Dave absolutely decimated Nilmungkorn, winning by KO in the second round of a fight he dominated, marking his third title defense. Dave then returned to Myanmar for his first of two fights with 3-time MuayThai World Champion Cyrus Washington. In what has been a common theme throughout Dave’s career, he completely outclassed his opponent. However, Washington was strong enough to survive Dave’s onslaught, and the fight ended in a draw for his fourth title defense.
Dave followed that up with his fifth successful title defense, this time against heavyweight kickboxer and 91kg WKN World Champion Corentin Jallon. Once again, Dave dominated the action but still could not get the stoppage. He then was able to get back into the win column after destroying former Rajadamnern Stadium, WPMF, and IKF Champion Diesellek TopKingBoxing, who holds a massive KO win over Youssef Boughamen and a decision win over Samy Sana. Dave knocked Diesellek out twice in the first round. In doing so, he won the Openweight Myanmar Lethwei World Championship Title and had his sixth straight title defense. His next fight was a trilogy fight against Tun Tun Min, which resulted in another draw for his seventh title defense. Dave was able to knockout Tun Tun Min once in the first round, but Tun Tun Min was able to recover and managed to survive the rest of the fight.
His next fight was against 6’3″ UFC veteran Seth Baczynski for the inaugural WLC Cruiserweight World Championship. Dave found himself fighting a much heavier opponent, going up a weight class to fight Seth. On fight day, Seth weighed about 20 pounds heavier than Dave, but it made no difference. Dave came out and dominated Baczynski, winning by knockout in the second round of the fight. This was his fifth championship belt and eight title defense, but he wasn’t done there. Dave had his eyes set on making more history.
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On November 7th, 2020, Dave faced Cyrus Washington for the second time. This time it was in the first-ever Lethwei World Championship fight to be held in the United States. With his Golden Belt up for grabs, Dave and Cyrus also competed for Sparta Sports & Entertainment’s inaugural Sparta World Lethwei Championship. Cyrus had a big size advantage, weighing close to 15 pounds heavier than Dave on fight day, but that didn’t matter. Dave landed an overhand right early in the fight that affected the vision of Washington and set the tone for the rest of the fight. Dave would continue to overwhelm Cyrus with an array of strikes, ultimately resulting in the ref stopping the fight a few rounds later. This fight gave Dave his ninth straight title defense.
One thing that stands out if you’ve watched Dave compete in any of these bouts is how perfect his build is for the way he fights.
Ideal Body
Dave has the perfect body type for fighting in Lethwei. At 6’2″, Dave is tall, lean, and full of muscle. He has long arms and legs, with sharp elbows and knees. His head is solid, which is great for those Lethwei headbutts. His hands and knuckles are huge, which is perfect for bare-knuckle action. Simply put, his body was made for Lethwei. Not to mention, it goes wonderfully with his style of fighting.
Dave’s flowing style is perfect for a striking sport like Lethwei. Watching Dave fight is like witnessing an artist paint or a dancer put on a performance. He moves around the ring with ease, backing his opponents down and forcing them to fight his fight. He is always analyzing his opponent and making adjustments during the fight. Dave can snap kicks with his lead leg with such quickness that he will use that lead leg movement to set up punching combinations as well. And the variety of strikes he will throw in some of those combinations is impressive.
Once Dave smells blood, you can see the determination to end the fight in his eyes. He will continue attacking until the ref stops the fight or the final bell rings. Possessing finishing instincts like that is a massive benefit for Dave. These benefits are not only in the ring, as a spectacular knockout is a lot more marketable than a fight ending in a draw. And Dave is very good at marketing.
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Marketing Abilities
Dave’s ability to market himself and the sport of Lethwei is second to none. He is constantly putting out content on his social media and promoting the sport of Lethwei everywhere he goes. His determination to bring Lethwei to the upper echelons of combat sports helps drive him to be the best fighter he can be. And this shows inside the ring. Dave is always looking to entertain the fans and truly loves the violence of Lethwei.
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Dave understands that most combat sports fans want bloody fights and vicious knockouts. And he tries to give fans what they want every time he steps into the ring. That kind of attitude is perfect for the business that he is in and will continue to take him, and Lethwei, to places he never thought they’d go.
What Could Be Next for Dave Leduc?
In today’s climate, you never know what could happen next for a superstar like Leduc. He could end up being cleared to return to Myanmar to defend his World Lethwei Championship Cruiserweight Title. He could be back in the US, defending his newly won Sparta Lethwei Championship. Or, he could end up fighting somewhere that he’s never fought before. If Dave has anything to say about it, his next fight will be in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lethwei does not have an easy path to legality in Nevada. Bare-knuckle boxing still isn’t legal in the state, so adding headbutts to that equation would likely make the commission shy away even more. However, crazier things have happened. For instance, Dave himself never thought he’d be fighting on American soil in the first place. Now that he’s checked that feat off his list, he has his eyes set on accomplishing so much more.
What do you think Dave should do next? Drop who and where you would like to see him fight in the comments below!
The Swartz Reports 
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