Cung Le

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Cung Le
Le on the set of Inside MMA in August 2009.
Born (1972-05-25) May 25, 1972 (age 51)
Saigon, South Vietnam
(now Saigon, Vietnam)
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Weight186 lb (84 kg; 13.3 st)
DivisionMiddleweight
Reach69.0 in (175 cm)
StyleSanda, Viet Vo Dao, Taekwondo, Wrestling, [2][3][4]
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofSan Jose, California
TeamAmerican Kickboxing Academy, Universal Strength Headquarters
TrainerBob Cook
Rank Black belt in Taekwondo
 Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [5]
Kickboxing record
Total17
Wins17
By knockout12
Losses0
Mixed martial arts record
Total11
Wins9
By knockout8
By decision1
Losses2
By knockout2
Other information
Websitewww.cungle.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Cung Le (Vietnamese: Lê Cung; born May 25, 1972) is an American mixed martial artist, actor, and former Sanshou kickboxer currently competing as a Middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, holding a record of 2-1 with the organization. In Sanshou (Sanda), he is a former International Kickboxing Federation Light Heavyweight World Champion, having a professional Sanshou record of 16-0 before moving to mixed martial arts (Le also held an undefeated kickboxing record of 17-0). He defeated Frank Shamrock to become the second Strikeforce Middleweight Champion before vacating the title to further pursue his acting career. Le is perhaps best known in mixed martial arts for competing in Strikeforce, holding a record of 7-1 with the organization before its demise. In mixed martial arts, 8 of his 9 wins have come by way of knockout.

Early life and education

Le was born in Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). In 1975, three days before the Fall of Saigon, Cung Le and his mother Anne left Vietnam by helicopter under heavy gunfire. He ended up in San Jose, California, where early discrimination and bullying inspired him to learn martial arts. His mother enrolled him in Taekwondo classes at the age of 10. Le has disciplines in a variety of martial arts like kuntao, sambo, and was undefeated as a professional kickboxer with a record of 17 wins and 0 losses. He is a three time world champion in kickboxing and also coaches his own team, which is now 11–0 in team competition.[6]

Le began wrestling competitively at age 14 after being inspired by Sylvester Stallone´s Rocky and earned All-American Honors in his junior year of high school.[7] He went on to wrestle for West Valley College in Saratoga, California and won the California Junior College State Championship in the 158 lb weight class in 1990.[8][9][dead link]

Sanda career

Le is undefeated in his Sanda career (17–0).[10] He has won three US Open International Martial Arts Championships (1994, 1995, 1996). In 1998 he won the Shidokan tournament championship.[11] 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 compiling an overall amateur record of 18–3. 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 International Kickboxing Federation Pro Light Heavyweight Sanda World Title.[10] In May 2003, Le entered into K-1 competitions where he garnered a 3–0 career record, including 1 knockout.[10]

Mixed martial arts career

Strikeforce

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. Le first met Altman in San Jose, 1999 in a kickboxing bout where he defeated Altman via a body shot in the third round. Three months later he faced KOTC veteran Brian Warren, knocking him out at 4:19 of the first round. Le had also faced Warren in a K-1 Sanshou bout where he won by decision. At Strikeforce: Triple Threat on December 8, 2006, Le defeated UFC veteran Jason Von Flue in 0:43 of round 1 when the fight had to be stopped due to a cut from a kick strike. Le went on to fight Tony Fryklund who had just suffered a spectacular loss to Anderson Silva. Like Silva, Le beat Fryklund via TKO due to strikes late in the third round. Soon after Le fought Sammy Morgan at Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives where he won the bout via TKO.

On March 29, 2008, Le defeated a long time MMA veteran Frank Shamrock 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 the new Strikeforce Middleweight champion.On September 17, 2009, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced that Le had relinquished his belt after securing a major motion picture deal.[12]

After 21 months since his last fight Le returned to Strikeforce to face Scott Smith at Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19, 2009. Le suffered his first MMA defeat, losing via TKO at 3:25 of round 3. After the match, Le expressed interest in an immediate rematch with Smith. His wish was granted on June 26, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum in which Le defeated Smith via TKO into the second round to avenge his only MMA loss at the time.[13]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Le has said that it’s basically the UFC or bust for him at this point in his fighting career. “I know for a fact that if I do fight again, it’s going to be in the UFC. I’ve never fought in the UFC, but I would love to fight in the UFC. But right now because of my contract with Showtime and Stikeforce, hopefully things can work out because there is a show in San Jose that Cain Velasquez is the main event. I would love to fight in San Jose for the UFC ....” said Le.[14] In an interview with BloodyElbow on October 27th, 2012, Le revealed he originally signed a six-fight contract with the UFC.[15]

Le was briefly linked to a matchup with Vitor Belfort on November 19, 2011 at UFC 139.[16] However, Belfort was removed from the bout and replaced by former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva.[17] Le managed to confuse Silva with his unorthodox kicks, and landed a spinning backfist that dropped Silva. During the second round, Silva managed to shake Le with huge punches and knees that completely broke Le's nose. Le was stunned, bloody and fell to the ground, and the fight was stopped by the referee.[18] Afterwards in the press conference, Dana White commented that it was a good stoppage and that Cung was taken to the hospital.

Le was scheduled to face former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin on July 7, 2012 at UFC 148.[19] However, due to an injury to headliner Vitor Belfort, Franklin instead faced Wanderlei Silva in a 190 lb catchweight rematch on June 23, 2012 at UFC 147.[20] Le instead faced former title contender Patrick Côté.[21] He earned his first UFC win via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Le faced Rich Franklin in the main event on November 10, 2012 at UFC: Macao.[22] Cung Le won the fight via KO with a powerful hook punch at Franklin's head at 2:17 in the first round.

The Ultimate Fighter: China

In November 2013, it was announced that Le would serve as the chief coach and mentor on The Ultimate Fighter: China, the China-based version of The Ultimate Fighter which begins airing in December 2013.[23]

Acting career

Le co-starred in the live-action Tekken film, based upon the popular martial arts fighting game, as Marshall Law, released November 5, 2009 for the American film market. Le had supporting roles in the science fiction film Pandorum with Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, and Fighting, released in 2009 alongside Channing Tatum. He also starred in a Hong Kong martial art film Bodyguards and Assassins, which was released on December 18, 2009; his film was the first time he worked with and had a fight scene with Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen.

He also appeared in a Vietnamese music show Paris By Night 99 - Tôi Là Người Việt Nam where he was interviewed by Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen; this show also marked one of the few times Le has spoken Vietnamese on camera.

Le had a lead role in the 2012 action film Dragon Eyes, costarring Jean-Claude Van Damme and produced by Joel Silver. The movie is based on the Akira Kurosawa classic Yojimbo and is "MMA-themed".[24] Also in 2012, Le played Bronze Lion in The Man with the Iron Fists, a film directed by RZA.

He recently starred in the explosive action movie Certain Justice, a film directed by Giorgio Serafini and co directed and written by James Coyne. In this fast paced, action revenge tale, he stars alongside Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones, Gianni Capaldi and Briana Evigan.

Personal life

Le has two sons with his ex-wife.[25] He and his second wife Suzanne were married in August 2009.[26] The couple had their first child together, a boy named Robert Eric Le, born in 2010.[27]

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

Kickboxing

  • Ho Tet Tae Kwon Do
    • Ho Tet Tae Kwon Do Tournament 1994 Grand Champion
  • USA International World Championships
    • 1996 Continuous Sparring Tae Kwon Do World Champion
  • World Wide Draka Federation
    • 1998 Draka Tournament Winner
  • Shidokan Cup Bare-Knuckle Full Contact Karate
    • 1998 Shidokan Cup U.S. Tournament Winner

Mixed martial arts

Submission grappling

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
11 matches 9 wins 2 losses
By knockout 8 2
By submission 0 0
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 9–2 Rich Franklin KO (punch) UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le Nov 10, 2012 1 2:17 Macao, China Knockout of the Night
Win 8–2 Patrick Côté Decision (unanimous) UFC 148 July 7, 2012 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 7–2 Wanderlei Silva TKO (knees and punches) UFC 139 Nov 19, 2011 2 4:49 San Jose, California, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 7–1 Scott Smith TKO (spinning back kick and punches) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum June 26, 2010 2 1:46 San Jose, California, United States
Loss 6–1 Scott Smith TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Evolution Dec 19, 2009 3 3:25 San Jose, California, United States
Win 6–0 Frank Shamrock TKO (broken arm) Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le Mar 29, 2008 3 5:00 San Jose, California, United States Won Strikeforce Middleweight Championship; Later vacated title; 2008 Fight of the Year.
Win 5–0 Sammy Morgan TKO (body kick) Strikeforce Tournament's Nov 16, 2007 3 1:58 San Jose, California, United States
Win 4–0 Tony Fryklund TKO (body kick & punches) Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni June 22, 2007 3 0:25 San Jose, California, United States
Win 3–0 Jason Von Flue TKO (doctor stoppage) Strikeforce: Triple Threat Dec 8, 2006 1 0:43 San Jose, California, United States
Win 2–0 Brian Warren KO (punches) Strikeforce: Revenge June 6, 2006 1 4:19 San Jose, California, United States
Win 1–0 Mike Altman KO (punch) Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie Mar 10, 2006 1 3:51 San Jose, California, United States

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record
17 wins (12 KOs), 0 losses
Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 17–0 United States Brian Ebersole Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce June 4, 2005 5 San Jose, California
Win 16–0 United States Brian Warren Decision (unanimous) K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas I April 30, 2004 4 2:00 Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 15–0 Canada Phil Petit Decision (unanimous) K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas II August 15, 2003 4 2:00 Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 14–0 United States Scott Sheely TKO K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas May 2, 2003 2 1:13 Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 13–0 United States Shonie Carter Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce December 15, 2001 5 San Jose, California Won IKF World Light Heavyweight Sanshou Championship
Win 12–0 United States Jeff Thornhill KO (spinning back fist) Strikeforce September 15, 2000 3 San Jose, California Won ISKA North American Light Heavyweight Championship
Win 11–0 United States Laimon M. Keita Decision (unanimous) K-1 USA Championships 2000 August 5, 2000 5 3:00 Las Vegas, Nevada Defended ISKA U.S. Light Heavyweight Sanshou Championship
Win 10–0 United States Mike Altman KO (double roundhouse kick) Strikeforce May 13, 2000 3 0:30 San Jose, California Defended ISKA Light Cruiserweight Sanshou Championship
Win 9–0 China Na Shun Gerile TKO (scissor kick) Art of War: China vs. USA 1999 3 Honolulu, Hawaii
Win 8–0 United States Scott Sheely TKO (broken cheek bone) Strikeforce May 15, 1999 2 0:59 San Jose, California Won ISKA U.S. Light Heavyweight Sanshou Championship
Win 7–0 United States Dan Garett KO (body kick) Strikeforce October 10, 1998 3 0:20 San Jose, California Won ISKA Light Cruiserweight Sanshou Championship
Win 6–0 United States Arne Soldwedel KO (right hook) 1998 Shidokan Cup August 29, 1998 7 Chicago, Illinois Won Shidokan Team USA Championship, 1998 U.S. Shidokan Cup Final
Win 5–0 United States Laimon M. Keita Submission (foot lock) 1998 Shidokan Cup August 29, 1998 2 Chicago, Illinois 1998 U.S. Shidokan Cup Semifinal
Win 4–0 United States Ben Harris KO (spinning hook kick) 1998 Shidokan Cup August 29, 1998 2 Chicago, Illinois 1998 U.S. Shidokan Cup Quarterfinal
Win 3–0 Japan Minaru Taro KO (head kick) Draka V May 24, 1998 1 Los Angeles, California 1998 Draka Tournament Final
Win 2–0 Armenia Gaik Isrelyan Decision (unanimous) Draka V May 24, 1998 5 Los Angeles, California 1998 Draka Tournament Semifinal
Win 1–0 United States Jason Yee Decision (unanimous) 1997 Kung Fu Championships August 31, 1997 4 2:00 Orlando, Florida

Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Film and television credits

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Sleight of Hand Victor Indie Film
2001 Walker, Texas Ranger Himself (1993 TV Series) Episode: "Legends"
2004 Kwoon Mort Ission Direct-to-Video
2006 Dark Assassin The Assassin Indie Film
2007 Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter Erik Film
2009 Fighting Dragon Le Major Film
Pandorum Manh Major Film
Bodyguards and Assassins Sa Zhen-Shan Film
2010 Tekken Marshall Law Major Film
True Legend Militia Leader Film
2012 Dragon Eyes Ryan Hong Major Film
The Grandmasters Tiexieqi Major Film
The Man with the Iron Fists Bronze Lion Major Film

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cung Le MMA Stats". Sherdog. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  2. ^ Knee Thrust[dead link]
  3. ^ [1][dead link]
  4. ^ http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=773
  5. ^ "Cung Le and the 8 Best Pure Martial Artists in MMA". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
  6. ^ The Official Cung Le Website. Cungle.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-27.
  7. ^ Sherdog.com (2006-02-22). "Cung Le Makes MMA Debut Against Altman". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  8. ^ http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=773
  9. ^ State Champions. Caccwrestling.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-27.
  10. ^ a b c The Official Cung Le Website. Cungle.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-27.
  11. ^ Kungfu Magazine: Magazine Feature Article. Ezine.kungfumagazine.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-27.
  12. ^ "LE STEPS DOWN; SHIELDS VS. LAWLER FOR 185 BELT". MMAWeekly.com. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2009-09-17. [dead link]
  13. ^ Strikeforce: Cung Le TKOs Scott Smith. MMA Fighting. Retrieved on 2010-08-27.
  14. ^ "It's UFC or Bust for Former Strikeforce Champ Cung Le". MMAWeekly.com. July 25, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  15. ^ "UFC Macao: Cung Le says no to TRT". bloodyelbow.com. October 27, 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  16. ^ "Vitor Belfort says he's fighting Cung Le at UFC 139 in San Jose". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
  17. ^ "UFC 139 shakeup: Vitor Belfort out, Wanderlei Silva in against Cung Le". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
  18. ^ Hendricks, Maggie (2011-11-19). "Wanderlei Silva returns to win column over Cung Le at UFC 139 - Cagewriter - UFC Blog - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  19. ^ "Rich Franklin Vs. Cung Le On Tap For UFC 148 On July 7th". bloodyelbow.com. March 18, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  20. ^ "Rich Franklin steps into UFC 147 headliner against Wanderlei Silva". mmajunkie.com. May 30, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  21. ^ "Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote targeted for UFC 148". mmajunkie.com. May 30, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  22. ^ Burke, Tim (August 5, 2012). "Rich Franklin Vs. Cung Le Set For UFC On Fuel 6 Main Event In Macau". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  23. ^ "'The Ultimate Fighter: China' cast revealed, series debuts Dec. 7". MMAJunkie.com. November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  24. ^ Moody, Mike. "MMA fighter Cung Le joins 'Dragon Eyes'".
  25. ^ "KNOXX's Cung Le talks about 2008 and his upcoming movies for 2009". KNOXXGEAR.com. 2008-12-20. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  26. ^ "Exclusive Cung Le Interview". 2009-08-13. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  27. ^ "Cung Le on his rematch with Scott Smith". KUNGFUMAGAZINE.com. 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  28. ^ [2]
  29. ^ Doyle, Dave (December 22, 2012). "Knockout of the Year: Cung Le vs. Rich Franklin". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  • Dolph website announces Capaldi starring and producing with Cung Le, Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones and Briana Evigan (5th May 2013)


External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cung Le.
Preceded by 2nd Strikeforce Middleweight Champion
March 29, 2008 – September 17, 2009 		Vacant
Le stepped down due
to filming obligations
Title next held by
Jake Shields

Template:Persondata

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