Cung Le
 |
Name | Cung Le |
| Nickname | N/A | |
| Association | Cung Le’s Martial Arts Center | |
| Weight Class | Middleweight (185 lbs.) | |
| Height | 5' 11" (178 cm) | |
| Style | Tae Kwon Do, Sanshou, Wrestling | |
| Birth Date | May 25, 1972 | |
| Fighting Out Of | San Jose, California | |
| Country | USA | |
| Cung Le Pictures | Official Website |
Cung Le is a Vietnamese-American kickboxer, actor and mixed martial artist fighting out of San Jose, California as a Middleweight. He was the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion before stepping down to further pursue his acting career.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 9 - 2 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 8 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 1 Decisions |
| Losses | 2 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 0 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Rich Franklin | KO (Punch) | UFC on FUEL TV 6: Franklin vs. Le | 11/10/2012 | 1 | 2:17 | Won Knockout of the Night |
| Win | Patrick Cote | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen 2 | 7/7/2012 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Wanderlei Silva | TKO (Knees and Punches) | UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson | 11/19/2011 | 2 | 4:49 | Won Co-Fight of the Night |
| Win | Scott Smith | KO (Kick to the Body) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum | 6/26/2010 | 2 | 1:46 | |
| Loss | Scott Smith | KO (Punches) | Strikeforce: Evolution | 12/19/2009 | 3 | 3:25 | |
| Win | Frank Shamrock | TKO (Broken Arm) | Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le | 3/29/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Strikeforce Middleweight Championship; Later vacates title for acting career |
| Win | Sam Morgan | KO (Kick to the Body) | Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives | 11/16/2007 | 3 | 1:58 | |
| Win | Tony Fryklund | KO (Punch) | Strikeforce and EliteXC: Shamrock vs. Baroni | 6/22/2007 | 3 | 0:25 | |
| Win | Jason Von Flue | TKO (Cut) | Strikeforce: Triple Threat | 12/08/2006 | 1 | 0:43 | |
| Win | Brian Warren | TKO (Punches) | Strikeforce: Revenge | 6/09/2006 | 1 | 4:19 | |
| Win | Mike Altman | KO (Punch) | Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie | 3/10/2006 | 1 | 3:51 | |
Biography
Cung Le was born in Saigon, South Vietnam. He fled his home country with his mother in 1975 as the city fell to communist rule. He ended up in San Jose, California where early bullying inspired him to learn to fight. His mother enrolled him in Tae Kwon Do classes at the age of 10. Since those first classes he has absorbed a variety of styles, and was undefeated as a professional kickboxer (22-0). He is a three time world champion and also coaches his own team, which is now 11-0 in team competition.
Kickboxing
Cung Le is undefeated in his professional Sanshou career (17-0-0). He has won three US Open International Martial Arts Championships (1994, 1995,1996). He has also won 4 US National Championships (Orlando, Florida 1994, Dallas, TX, 1995, Baltimore, MD, 1997). He earned three bronze medals in his amateur Sanshou world competition. He has been a three-time captain of the United States teams that competed and was the U.S. team captain at the World Wushu Championships in 1997 (Italy) and 1999 (Hong Kong). On December 15, 2001 he defeated Shonie Carter by unanimous decision in San Jose, California to win the IKF Pro Light-Heavyweight San Shou World Title. In May 2003, Le entered into K-1 competitions where he garnered a 3-0 career record, including 1 knockout.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Le made his mixed martial arts debut at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie on March 10, 2006, at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, knocking out kickboxing rival Mike Altman at 3:51 of the first round. Three months later he faced KOTC veteran Brian Warren, knocking him out with a flurry of punches at 4:19 of the first round.
At Strikeforce: Triple Threat on December 8, 2006, Le defeated Jason Von Flue in 0:43 when the fight had to be stopped due to a cut.
Le defeated a long time MMA veteran Frank Shamrock on March 29, 2008, in a fight co-promoted by Strikeforce and EliteXC at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Le won via TKO when Frank Shamrocks' right arm was broken after a series of kicks (ulna broken), making him Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.
Described as the "definition of a dynamic striker" by ringside commentator Bill Goldberg in his MMA match against Shamrock, Cung Le is known for his ability to produce highly co-ordinated and effective strikes. Ringside commentator Bill Goldberg also described his spinning back kicks as getting "hit by a truck" while interviewing him in the lead up to the title fight, and his roundhouse kick is arguably his most dangerous striking kick.
On September 17, 2009, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced that Le had relinquished his belt after securing another major motion picture deal. It was also announced that the bout between Jake Shields and Jason "Mayhem" Miller would be for Le's old title. Shields went on to win the title.
The movie project ended up getting pushed back, giving Le the opportunity to come back to mixed martial arts, only after recently relinquishing his title. His return to mixed martial arts was slated for December 19, 2009 at Strikeforce: Evolution, where he faced "Hands of Steel" Scott Smith, who was coming off a high-profile loss to Nick Diaz. Le completely and utterly dominated Smith for two and a half rounds, until he was rocked by a left hook out of left field, where Le was dropped. Smith followed up with a few more heavy punches, ending Le's undefeated streak.
Strikeforce next decided to have the two face off against one another in a re-match on June 26, 2010 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum. Le continually tagged and dropped his opponent, and he easily avoided Smith's telegraphed takedown attempts. In the second round while maintaining a comfortable striking distance, Le turned to a familiar weapon and used a pair of spinning-back-heel kicks to set up an eventual TKO (Kick to the Body) victory when the blows crushed Smith's diaphragm and made him double over in pain. The end came at the 1:46 mark of the second round.
- "We went over two game plans," Le said. "He was going to come at me, and I was going to sharp-shoot and pick my shots. Or, he was going to let me beat on him for another two-and-a-half rounds and come back. So this time, I fought smart, let him come in, and he came into the power. He got caught.
Acting Career
Kung Fu Cinema confirms Cung Le will co-star in the live-action Tekken film, based upon the popular martial arts fighting game, as Marshall Law. The movie has already completed filming, and is set to be released in 2009. Cung Le has also confirmed on November 28, 2008 on Inside MMA that he will star in a supporting role in the upcoming science fiction film Pandorum with Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster. He is set to star in a supporting role in the upcoming movie "Fighting" alongside Channing Tatum.
Ranks and Titles
- Strikeforce World Middleweight Champion
- IKF World Light Heavyweight San Shou Champion
- ISKA North American Light Heavyweight San Shou Champion
- ISKA U.S. Light Heavyweight San Shou Champion
Personal Life
Cung is divorced and has two sons. He and his girlfriend Suzanne were married in August 2009.
