Strikeforce Results: Scott Smith Upsets Cung Le
by Luke Thomas on Dec 20, 2009 12:24 AM EST
in MMA News
Email
Print
Turning side kicks are vicious. Especially when Cung Le throws them. It doesn't matter. A major upset by Smith ended hopes for Strikeforce's plans.
There isn't a whole lot to tell that you couldn't figure out about round one. Early into the first round Le lands a nice turning side kick to Smith's body, dropping him quickly to the canvas. From there Le poured on the offense until Smith miraculously made it back to the canvas. It didn't matter much. Le landed another turning side kick in addition to a variety of other punches to serious effect. Smith managed to survive but was no offensive threat.
Round two wasn't much different. Another turning side kick dropped Smith early. Le wasn't able to do much from Smith's guard and from there Smith tried a few takedowns without much effect. One nice uppercut from Smith lands, but still not enough to undo the knockdown.
Badri Hari isn't the only one throwing spinning heel kicks. To open round three, Le threw a nice spinning heel kick in addition to a bevy of turning side kicks. Smith tried to rebound and Cung Le admittedly looked gassed in the early parts of the round even if a spinning back first landed as well as a knockdown.
Then it happened.
3:25 of round three. As Smith closed the pocket and Le ducked what he thought was a short right coming, he dropped a short life dropped Le clean. From there Smith followed up with punches until referee Big John McCarthy had no choice to stop it.
90 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Not a Cung Le fan. Glad to see the hype-train derailed.
by bigc4277 on Dec 20, 2009 12:01 AM EST via mobile reply actions
You called Scott Smith getting raped for two+ rounds and then catching Le with a glancing elbow? Nice.
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
by FlyByKnight on Dec 20, 2009 12:02 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
On the slow-mo replay, it looked like a glancing left elbow more than the left hook.
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
by FlyByKnight on Dec 20, 2009 12:04 AM EST up reply actions
That landed with an elbow. He may have attempted to throw the hook but the hook missed. The elbow did not.
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
by FlyByKnight on Dec 20, 2009 12:06 AM EST up reply actions
The side angle looked like the elbow landed. I rewound it back and found the overhead angle. It was the punch, not the elbow. My fault.
I blame horrible angles.
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
by FlyByKnight on Dec 20, 2009 12:09 AM EST up reply actions
Nah, was a left hand, no elbow. Unless you can show me a different angle.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Dec 20, 2009 12:09 AM EST up reply actions
I was wrong on the round, but I called, and I quote:
Le’s boxing (still) looks sloppy to me. Not only are his hands at his chest, watch how he drops his left hand, palm down, all the way to his waist after a cross.
Smith by overhand right early in the 2nd after being dominated the whole 1st round.
Source: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/12/16/1203946/cung-le-open-workout#27268220
Luke's Twitter
MMANation Strikeforce Results: Cung Le Crushes Scott Smith http://sbnation.com/e/973294
The only thing Jon Jones does better than Matt Hamill is hear.
(And smash faces)
by ufc4 on Dec 20, 2009 12:05 AM EST reply actions 8 recs
Can’t say I blame him. I would’ve had the post written midway through R2.
by Chris Nelson on Dec 20, 2009 12:06 AM EST up reply actions
Hahaha
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Dec 20, 2009 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
i don't know
Smith-Sell was a better comeback i think. Smith was all but out and done and loaded up one punch on his way down. You have to put Scott Smith in the category with the guys that will always have a job and always get the TV time with their fights, no matter their record.
it's 5.00 am here in england...
so worth it seeing mr mma cung le get his arse kicked in front of his mam lol
Strikeforce commentary is so biased, cung is not unbelievable. if he was he’d have put smith away inside the first round.
world class at kicking range but he can box for toffee!
minus
Season 4 of the ultimate fighter.
:)
by "Mr. NC-17" on Dec 20, 2009 12:08 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Body shots and Smith seem to end interestingly.
Guillotine.
by iiowyn on Dec 20, 2009 12:24 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Great point. He does seem to fold to body shots every time. Wonder if he has an old injury he’s never gotten fixed. Good job.
(formerly TheFightJournal)
No, he means he folds every time he gets hit in the body. Smith-Sell had him crumpled on the mat (even though he KO’d Sell), Lawler-Smith 2 ended with knees to the body I believe, as did the Nick Diaz fight. Now, eh was dropped with a kick to the bdoy twice in the first round.
He may have an iron chin, but his stomach is weaker than glass.
by Swordslasher on Dec 20, 2009 1:58 PM EST up reply actions
So are last minute come-backs the future of MMA? :-P
(Just kidding!)
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
by jemaleddin on Dec 20, 2009 8:13 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Upset of the YEAR !!!
Smith was getting his ass kicked and pulled a horse shoe out of his ass. Damn, didn’t see that coming.
"I was not impressed by your performance"
Scott "Minotauro" Smith
The only thing Jon Jones does better than Matt Hamill is hear.
(And smash faces)
by ufc4 on Dec 20, 2009 12:09 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
What a great card.
I have got to give it to Strikeforce. This was one hell of a card. Last 2 fights were awesome.
Called it.
I told everyone here at my place Scott would take it in round 3 (Much sarcasm in my voice) and man, I’m so glad I was being a smart ass.
I’m so glad Cung got KO’ed though, I’m bitter about all his movie shenanigans.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Dec 20, 2009 12:12 AM EST reply actions
Great comeback, but I was still impressed by Cung. He is so talented but you cant do this part time!
I don’t think thats really what they were aiming for. Now they can have him fight nobodies and crush them without criticism.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Dec 20, 2009 12:17 AM EST up reply actions
I’m actually glad Smith derailed him. Had he lost against Hendo or Shields, he’d still have come across as a legit threat. Now we’ve seen him to be nothing more than a can crusher.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Dec 20, 2009 4:55 AM EST up reply actions
BAD IDEA !!!
that wouldn’t be fair. Le would get killed if he fought those guys. Two ground specialists. Le would become a pretzel !!
"I was not impressed by your performance"
Scott Smith vs hando would put his miraculous comeback KO ability to the ultimate test.
Keep firing Assholes!
Fedor has accomplished nothing until he fights Kimbo.
Scott Smith Should be main feature on Ultimate MMA comebacks
by The Bronzeville Bully on Dec 20, 2009 12:26 AM EST reply actions
So what is up with Smith and the Tom Atencio comments every fight
So the last few post-fight interviews i have seen with Scott Smith (where he has won) he always mentions Tom Attencio and his sexual preference. Tonight it was something about a party with Tom and Lance Attencio, and the one i saw before on HDNet congratulated Tom Attencio on his marriage to a guy. I think I saw somewhere it is some sort of running joke with Smith, does anybody know what the story with it is?
He does have quite a chin, though.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Dec 20, 2009 4:56 AM EST up reply actions
HELL YES!
Called that bitches. No way Cung takes that much time off and doesn’t have a massive amount of ring rust.
Who in the other thread said WEC 45 was the better watch?
A bunch of excellent fights. Great night for Strikeforce.
I Did. And It was.
Because you can get great fights that ALSO have meaning.
by SidHartman on Dec 20, 2009 1:06 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
couldn't agree more
Every bit of the WEC show was better. I watched Strikeforce first then WEC. I was actually excited watching WEC.
Strikeforce needs announcers who don’t argue with each other and then just constantly talk about people swinging at air as a great exchange. And someone who might comment about the fact that that when you back up you move into somebody’s kick range. you have to move to the side or move in. A little intelligence would go a long way.
Normally I would agree, but tonight Strikeforce provided not only great fights, but fights with meaning. Was there a belt on the line at WEC? No? Well, Strikeforce had the the LW belt on the line in a FOTY candidate.. It also had a great intro fight for King Mo, a number one contenders maker in Jacare over Lindland (talk about meaning), and a comeback of the year candidate in Smith over Le. Generally I take WEC over anyone, but tonight they lost against a worthy opponent.
by John Nash on Dec 20, 2009 2:28 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Wow, Cung won the poll yesterday 3-1 yet everyone called it for Smith, amazing.
The only thing Jon Jones does better than Matt Hamill is hear.
(And smash faces)
Wow. Smith gets destroyed for over two rounds, then KO's Le. I LOVE THIS SPORT!!!!
I love me some Sexyama!
Dammit I fell asleep during the third fight (which was awesome, but it was 5 in the morning where I live).
"You hit too hard, too hard, too hard..."
Was anyone else surprised that it wasn’t getting close to being stopped in the first? After about 10 hammerfists I thought Big John would get down and do his “if you don’t do something I’m going to have to stop it”, but no he was just laying back watching lol.
Cung Le had really sloppy defense when he got hit. Hands nowhere near his head.
Oh yah and Frank Shamrock is so bitter as an announcer haha.
The Scott Smith upset means nothing, if anything it just tells us that Cung had way too much ring rust after that long brek he took.
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
I disagree
It showed us that Cung Le has absolutely no finishing ability once the fight hits the ground.
He let Smith hang around, and hang around, and hang around some more and if you let a big hitter like Smith hang around that long, he’s eventually going to hit his mark. Le had Smith BADLY hurt a number of times and couldn’t seal the deal. Cung just found out what happens when you let a guy hang around rather than finishing him when you have him hurt.
cung who
cung has never fought anybody, i don’t understand why he was so popular
Finishing Smith???
Does anyone else think Le didn’t finish Smith on the ground b/c he doesn’t want people to think that mma is grappling/jiu jitsu only??
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
