Cung Le Says He Won't Be Fighting in 2011
by Tim Burke on May 3, 2011 12:56 PM EDT
in Strikeforce News
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In an ESPN story, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le discussed his future in MMA and it didn't exactly sound too promising. With his acting career going ahead full speed, it doesn't look like there will be any time for the almost 39-year-old Le to step into a Strikeforce (or UFC) cage any time in the near future. In fact, he actually deemed a 2011 return "impossible":
Le says for him to continue fighting it would have "to be soon because the clock is ticking." Yet when asked if that means it would happen in 2011 he says, "that would be impossible" due to his demanding work load.
"I’m doing well right now being in the films," Le said. "A lot of people are telling me, 'you should just retire, you’re not going to fight.' Other people are saying 'you got to fight.' You can’t make everybody happy."
Le last fought in June 2010 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, where he avenged an earlier loss to Scott Smith with a second round TKO finish. His next major film release is called "The Man With The Iron Fists", starring Russell Crowe, which comes out later this year.
"Just to see Russell Crowe work was amazing, and just to be a big part of the film was amazing," Le said. "I think I had the third most working days out of the whole cast, and then I got to kill like 20 people. I feel blessed."
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Oh man!
I was really looking forward to seeing him fight Anderson Silva, too!
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by Matt Bishop on May 3, 2011 12:34 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
Gus Johnson weeps at this.
Oh and Le, you were the bomb in Pandorum yo!
"Hey, there's some blood in this puke. We could go sharking with that."
by I, machine on May 3, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Goddammit.
Everybody jokes on Cung, but the man is exciting as hell to watch. Bummer.
"Unless you can’t think of something intelligent to say, don’t reply and make the world as dumb as you are appearing to be." - mabel4life
by lowellthehammer on May 3, 2011 12:35 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
He is, aint gonna lie.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on May 3, 2011 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
This was funny to me.
“I think I had the third most working days out of the whole cast, and then I got to kill like 20 people. I feel blessed.”
Learn JiuJitsu, it's fun.
by RolloTomasi on May 3, 2011 12:36 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
Me too.
"Very broken in his right hand is Martin Kampmann"
"This is the internet: you either have soul-stopping power or you’re a pillow-fisted pansy. There is no middle ground." - woomikee
Yep, gave me a good laugh as well
"I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by in the fight, what you saw, in the ring." - Tito Ortiz
lmao, beat me to it.
I'm Don Frye and you're not - Don Frye
by MrTechnique420 on May 3, 2011 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I love Cung Le
He is a hometown hero and as an Asian guy, I really look up to the guy.
But if he is never going to concentrate 100% on MMA, I really don’t want him to fight anymore, he will never be able to reach his potential and that will just frustrate the crap out of me.
well darn someone tell Mauro no superfight with Silva this year
he’ll be so sad
Twitter @MaZZM
http://www.mazzznet.com/
I think its time we just forget about Le
He obviously has no interest in being a fighter anymore. Which kind of sucks because he was fun to watch even tho I don’t think he was ever going to be a top tier guy in MMA. I know it’s selfesh of me to want to write a guy off because he isn’t doing what I would like him to but I think it is a tiny bit of a blackeye on the sport for a guy to only fight in one of the top promotions when he feels like it. You don’t see football or Basketball players taking a couple years off here and there to make movies and then comeback to be the starting QB or RB or any position.
" Its like when I'm right I'm right, when I'm wrong I coulda been right, so I'm still right cause I coulda been wrong, you know, and I'm sorry cause I could be wrong right now, I could be wrong, but I'm right..." Bama
Maybe not exactly the same
But if we’re comparing Apples and Mangoes anyway:
Brett Favre has done something similar a couple times now. Tiki Barber is looking to do it, too.
Favre didn't miss seasons and then comeback
and Tiki is pulling a little publicity stunt IMO.
" Its like when I'm right I'm right, when I'm wrong I coulda been right, so I'm still right cause I coulda been wrong, you know, and I'm sorry cause I could be wrong right now, I could be wrong, but I'm right..." Bama
Cung Le is pretty old
and has earned the right to do what he wants. It’s just too bad MMA wasn’t big enough to lure him in in his prime.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Don't forget however that Cung Le has a lot of really good students...
…I still wait for the day when one of them, or someone else, will really show the world how well San Shou can blend into MMA.
actually after reading his book
(review coming soon) I think he’s less a San Shou fighter than a wrestler with a taekwondo background who found that was the perfect skill set with which to plunder in a San Shou rules set.
Kind of like the way Dave Camarillo found his judo background gave him a lot of advantages in BJJ competition.
the moral of the Cung Le story IMO is that TKD has a lot of very cool and very effective weapons to teach MMA fighters.
I’m still waiting to see a true San Shou/Sanda fighter come up in MMA.
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yeah
I’m not saying he didn’t pick up anything from a decade in San Shou competition.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Cung Le picks his opponents very carefully...
…I don’t think he had any desire to be thrown into the deep end of the UFC/Strikeforce shark tank.
Good
Another good thing to come out of the SF buyout, IMO. Enough with the freakshows… No more Cung Le, no more Lashley, no more Batista and no more Walker. Please!!
Maybe more Walker. He seems to really want to learn MMA from scrap
by Ziggy325 on May 3, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree
I’m not into the freakshow fights but Walker is a legit athlete(damn old tho) and is actually trying to learn the sport and isn’t trying to act like he’s the shit and will be the Champ. He just wants to learn what he can and have some fights not a problem with me.
" Its like when I'm right I'm right, when I'm wrong I coulda been right, so I'm still right cause I coulda been wrong, you know, and I'm sorry cause I could be wrong right now, I could be wrong, but I'm right..." Bama
I wouldn’t say that no more Walker is a good thing. He’s capable and he draws eyes to the sport in a positive way.
www.mmalinker.com
by exsanguinator on May 3, 2011 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Indeed, and how is Cung le a freak show fighter, he is a legit mma fighter. Not everyone on tv needs to be world class.
I am free because I choose to be so-Me
had Cung Le gotten into MMA in 2000
he would’ve won some major titles.
Some of these morons see the flashy kicks and miss out on his wrestling skills.
He has no submission grappling, but he came into the sport very skilled in 2/3 of the major areas.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
If he’s not in the sport to become the best, I don’t want to see him in the UFC. It’s as simple as that.
he’s not in the ufc so what’s the problem?
www.mmalinker.com
by exsanguinator on May 6, 2011 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Cung Le
is anything but a freak show.
You’re really pissing me off.
He is a late comer to MMA but there’s nothing wrong with that.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on May 3, 2011 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 11 recs
rec'd for "You're really pissing me off"
Feel exactly the same way.
"Unless you can’t think of something intelligent to say, don’t reply and make the world as dumb as you are appearing to be." - mabel4life
by lowellthehammer on May 3, 2011 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And you don’t think a guy who comes in and out of MMA to take a hand-picked fight once in a while is a freak show? Maybe we have different definitions of the term “freak show”, but he’s pretty close to my exact definition of the term.
I’m not saying anything regarding his credentials, but his lack of taking this sport seriously and hand-picking his opponents are enough for me to quality him as a freak show. Just like Gina Carano, but that’s another topic for another day.
A “freak show fight” means that people want to see someone in the cage for reasons other than their MMA technique. They’re either strange looking or famous outside of fighting. Not taking the sport seriously or hand-picking your opponents has nothing to do with a bout qualifying as a “freak show.” You ought to pick your own term instead if parroting others and using phrases incorrectly. If you continue to misuse “freak show” in regards to Cung Le that’s fighter bashing. It’s not debatable, so just stop it and expand on the many legitimate criticisms of Cung’s career instead.
Is it possible for an administrator to change my handle? I want it to be "Genki Pseudonym." I just thought of that myself.
look up the judo chops on cung le in the archive of this site
he is a great fighter. at his peak you had a solid argument for him being top 20 or top 15 at 185.
Maybe I’m being too hard on Cung Le, but I just can’t bring myself to like a guy who treats MMA like a passtime. I’d rather see serious fighters who put all their efforts into becoming better MMA fighters and actually want to fight the best in the sport. That’s not Cung Le, to me.
I appreciate the gifts that Cung Le puts on display for the fans
and I hope to see more, preferably on a major show.
By your definition Chris Lytle, Matt Hughes, Randy Couture for the past 2 years, Renzo Gracie et al are all freak show fighters. Not every UFC bout has to be on the road to the title.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on May 3, 2011 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Lytle was on his way to a title according to many with a victory over Condit, then he lost to Ebersole instead. Hughes was kind of coming back into talks with his win over Almeida, then PJ Penn III happened. And Couture, well he’s a one in a lifetime type of deal, let’s be frank, he’s been a freakshow for most of his career!
And no, you don’t need to be on the road to the title to be in the UFC, but you should at least be a serious fighter taking fighting seriously. IMO, of course.
Freak show eh?
I agree, his striking is freaky.
Learn JiuJitsu, it's fun.
by RolloTomasi on May 3, 2011 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Rec’d for the showcase of striking. The guy came into MMA late and has now been given the ability to choose some movie roles and gain some new experiences. Who wouldn’t want to be in a movie with Russell Crowe, killing a bunch of people?
If MMA was more popular in the late 90’s, early 2000’s I think Cung Le would have dominated some fools. His striking is intense.
"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." - Jim Morrison
Sure, it’s flashy, but let’s not pretent as though he’s dominated guys at the top of their game with his striking… I don’t think he could’ve pulled that stuff against anybody but guys specifically picked to stand up in front of him and be fodder to his standup skills.
Well, you’ve got a guy who doesn’t take MMA seriously, only takes a fight when he can’t get an acting gig, and hand-picks his opponents that will suit his style best. There may be bigger freak shows out there (Lashley, Batista, Toney), but he’s still part of that list. Of course, anyone can disagree.
You called him a freakshow,
you don’t think he would take that as an insult?
Learn JiuJitsu, it's fun.
Fine. He’s a non-dedicated MMA fighter that takes fights once in a while when he’s got nothing else to do. You decide how I should label him. But I won’t call him a serious MMA fighter. And IMO, anyone’s who isn’t serious about being a MMA fighter, that gets hand-picked opponents to showcase to maximize the excitment he’ll be able to generate with his rather limited skillset, I’m not sure how to label that other than freakshow. But whatever. You disagree, that’s fine.
lol good old sweet dee. I love that show.
"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." - Jim Morrison
by LowkickGreed on May 3, 2011 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
If she’s retarded, I’m applying right now to become a retard gynecologist.
by Horselover Fat on May 3, 2011 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You know, I’m not sure.. but I very much hope so. I don’t really have anything else to fall back on.
by Horselover Fat on May 3, 2011 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions
again you're completely missing the fucking beauty of Cung Le's skillset
he’s a great wrestler. college level competitor.
He may not be much at BJJ but getting him to the ground would be a test for any but the very best wrestlers/judoka at middle weight.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Less of this please
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by Neil Manich on May 3, 2011 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Comparing Le to the other three is pretty disingenuous. Cung is a real fighter.
by Jonathan Snowden on May 3, 2011 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
How are Lashley and Walker any less fighters than Cung Le? They’ve got backgrounds in some form of MMA or another, don’t they?
Cung Le has fought a much better level of competition and shown more aptitude than either.
by Jonathan Snowden on May 3, 2011 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, I won’t disagree there. They’re a lot greener than Cung Le, no questions about it. But all three got to beat hand-picked opponents early in their career, specifically chosen to showcase their style (Lashley less so because he’s just not that good and has no gas tank, but that’s another topic). But whatever. You know who else got hand-picked opponents like that? Kimbo. Before he joined TUF and made it appear as though he was getting serious about MMA, did you think of Kimbo as a freakshow, or a real fighter?
I don’t think there’s much comparison between the two really. Or between Cung Le and an 800 year old Herschel Walker. Nor do I think Cung Le was improperly matched. Basically, I reject your whole premise.
by Jonathan Snowden on May 4, 2011 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Well on the bright side, Cung Le finding success in the movie industry could really help spread MMA’s popularity. He can make more of an impact this way.
but the thing is, he isn't well known to mainstream mma fans
so that won’t work. in the otherhand, randy couture is the face of mma to both hardcore and mainstream mma fans. cung le should just retire. dude is getting too old to compete competitively against the elite crop of fighters today.
maybe...
he’s too old to compete with the elite, but what’s wrong with having an entertaining fighter around that can test up and coming fighters? or having an entertaining fighter period?
Argh.
This is what’s so frustrating about being a Le fan. I understand he gets to do what he wants with his life, but I feel like he has it backwards. He has movie offers because of his careers in MMA and San Shou. MMA is very time-limited in that he doesn’t have much time left to really make an impact, career-wise. Movies, on the other hand, will wait, and the more he’s successful in MMA the more move offers he will likely get. The guy’s already a local hero in the bay area and Vietnamese community, getting national expose at least to the MMA fanbase would only help.
Willis and Schwarzenegger became actions stars in their 40s, the clock is ticking on fighting, not on your movie career, Cung! If he’s gonna do movies, then retire and do movies. Especially don’t expect a title shot when you’re not even fighting once a year.
The clock is ticking on his movie career in a way, too. He has to take advantage of his notoriety while he still has it. Even if he returns to MMA and does well there’s no guarantee there will still be offers on the table. There is just so much luck involved in this Hollywood stuff that one missed opportunity could mean the world.
That being said, I wish he would dedicate himself entirely to fighting. At his age I just don’t know if that’s the smartest financial decision.
Is it possible for an administrator to change my handle? I want it to be "Genki Pseudonym." I just thought of that myself.
True Legend
Cung Le is incredible in TRUE LEGEND. Check out the Facebook page. It has a lot of cool extras! http://www.facebook.com/TrueLegendFilm
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