World Lethwei Championship (WLC) is back for a second season on Amazon Prime UK, with future live events coming to the UK in 2021.
MMA fight fans have been lapping up the ancient and brutal sport of Lethwei on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and it has proved to be so popular that a second season is being released on the VOD platform on December 22nd – six months earlier than originally planned.
UK producer and distributor, Krafty Entertainment signed the deal with World Lethwei Championship (WLC) and the second series comprising of 7 events which were held in Myanmar between 2019 and 2020 and have been made available to the UK fights fans via Amazon Prime.
Krafty Entertainment’s head of UK brand and events (ex-elite Judo and retired pro-MMA fighter) Brett Caswell said, “Securing this broadcasting deal with WLC is fantastic news for UK MMA fight fans. Not only are we bringing the incredible world of Lethwei to viewers in the UK, but the deal also includes live broadcasts once they recommence in 2021 as well as an exclusive license to host live events here in the UK once fans are permitted to return to arenas.”
Launched in 2017 WLC is already shown in multiple countries across the world and has attracted fighters from various other disciplines including MMA and Muay Thai. Lethwei, a sport which is also known as the ‘art of 9 limbs,’ so-called because fighters use their fists, forearms, knees, and feet, whilst headbutts are also legal and all contests are fought bare-knuckle.
Krafty Entertainment’s head, John Warrington said. “When I first saw WLC, I knew we had to bring it to the UK. We initially developed a three-year plan to introduce WLC gradually. Originally, we were going to launch the second season next summer, but we’ve been taken so much by surprise by the success of season one that we’ve brought forward the timescales and we’re looking to start planning for live events in the UK as soon as fans are allowed back into arenas.”
Fighters competing in WLC include many world champions from other disciplines including Michael “Bad Ass” Badato, British based pole Artur Saladiak, UFC star Seth Baczynski, Portuguese knockout warrior Antonio Faria, former WMA world champion Sasha Moisa from Ukraine and Canadian superstar Dave Leduc who has a passionate army of supporters across the world.
WLC also has a women’s division which includes British banker Nicola “the Burmese Python” Barke, who lives in Luton. A former ballet dancer, Nicola also works for the HSBC bank and has previously won a world title at the ITF world championships. Nicola is now a huge star on the martial arts scene with a vast following of fans across the globe.
About WLC
The success of ONE Championship‘s mixed martial arts events in Myanmar caught the eye of Zaykabar Company Vice-Chairman Zay Thiha, who decided to bring world-class Lethwei events to the world. The businessman started Lekkha Moun Co in 2015 and the World Lethwei Championship was officially founded in August 2017 by Zay Thiha and investors, as a subsidiary of Lekkha Moun Co.
In 2017, WLC signed Myanmar’s top Lethwei fighters Tun Tun Min & Too Too. The first WLC event, titled WLC 1: The Great Beginning, was held on 3 March 2017 at Mingalardon Event Zone in Mingaladon Township, Yangon, Myanmar. Since launching, there have been a total of 13 events, and all have been broadcast live across the world including on UFC fights pass and Canal + who also produce the live broadcasts. WLC is now regarded as the largest bare-knuckle organisation in the world.
About Krafty Entertainment
Krafty Entertainment is a sports production and distribution company. Its team have a passion for ‘Krafting’ engaging content to the highest possible standards and have worked across the world for various industry heavyweights such as Sky, BBC, Amazon Prime Video, Channel 4, Fox Sports and Showtime Sports.
Subscribe
