# Cung Le: "I Didn't Go Undefeated For No Reason"



## snakerattle79 (Feb 6, 2008)

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-...5-Cung-Le-I-didnt-go-undefeated-for-no-reason

When Cung Le fled Saigon in a helicopter under fire in 1975, perfection was the farthest thing from his mind. An unparalleled fighter who went undefeated in san shou (17-0), K-1 kickboxing (22-0) and mixed martial arts (6-0), San Jose’s favorite son will look to stay perfect this Saturday, against UFC veteran and KO artist, Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith.

Smith (16-6), became world renowned after two, hard fought slugfest‘s, on CBS with Robbie Lawler early last year. After seeing his last fight end in defeat to Strikeforce superstar, Nick Diaz, Smith is undoubtedly looking for revenge. And if history is an precursor to what is in store, Cung Le is more than obliged to give Smith stand-up war he desires.

Since Le’s title winning performance against Frank Shamrock, some 20 months ago, the former Strikeforce middlweight champion has tried his hand at acting. Not only has he succeeded, but much like his fighting career, Le has exceeded expectations--seeing him star in the movie Pandorum, with co-stars Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster. He was also featured in the movie Fighting with GI Joe: Rise of Cobra star, Channing Tatum. And with two blockbuster movies slated in China next year, Cung is not without challenges--both inside and outside of the cage.

In this exclusive Q and A with examiner.com, hear what Cung Le has to say about his fight on December 19th, the future of Strikeforce, and his Bay Area nemesis, Jake Shields.



Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Well first off Cung, I wanted to say congratulations. I heard you got married not too long ago. I know you have been crazy busy with movies and training for this fight among other things, but I have to ask, how the heck has married life been treating you?

Cung Le: Oh, first off I have to say my wife is great. She is amazingly supportive and really, really smart and intelligent. And she is also my best friend, so it really has been great. You know, jitterbugs are definitely starting to kick in for this fight. Especially since I’ve been gone for so long. But she really has been keeping me calm and reminding me that I’ve done it before and the fight is 50% mental. She really keeps me on track and like I said, I’m just really grateful for her.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Well you kind of touched on it a bit there, but ring rust…I mean, it’s been almost two years since your last fight and that little tinge in the back of your brain has to start kicking in, “Oh crap, what if I forget something? What if I didn’t prepare right?” I know you were training a bit on the set of your movies, but nothing can prep you for that 9 week training camp.

No way, it definitely doesn’t compare, but it does keep things in tune. You know, I’ve been doing martial arts all of my life. Your muscles have memory and if you go out there and are rusty, it’s because you second guess yourself. I’ve taken time off before and came back and been very successful--not this long, but still. I’ve also taken very little time off and still come back looking fantastic, and that’s when I thought maybe I didn’t have enough time to prepare. What it is, it’s just mental. You have to go out there and relax. Just let your techniques and all the things you have done in the past, just let everything fly. If it doesn’t hit or it doesn’t connect, you know, you just have to go out there and find your rhythm. Once you find your rhythm, it’s like you fought two months ago and everything just flows. That’s what I have to do--I just have to go out and find my rhythm, connect, and things will just click. I’ve been doing martial arts for so long, it’s in me. All I have to do is believe in myself, stay calm, and do what I do, and everything will be fine.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): And maybe this is one of those fights where getting hit wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I mean, having Scott Smith tag you with a little jab might not be the worst thing to happen! Also, you really are one of the most focused guys in MMA today. You almost have a Zen-like peacefulness when you step into the cage.

I’m a very focused person and come the 19th you will definitely see that. I don’t think I need Scott Smith to touch me on the chin to wake me up [laugh]. I’ll make sure I go into that cage woken up already. You know, in every fight you are going to get touched up, but it would be nice not to eat a jab from a guy like Scott Smith. Especially since he has such heavy hands.

I’m going to make sure I go out there and…whether we just go out and put on a show or…you know, because every fight on this card could be a main event. So, we definitely have our ‘share’ to uphold for the MMA fans. I mean, four fights before our fight could be a main event. So we definitely have a strong standard to live up to.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Well briefly I’d like to talk about training. Smith is most likely the toughest guy you have fought, so have you switched anything up, especially considering the 20 month layoff?

Definitely. I’ve been upping my cardio and at the same time listening to my body, and making sure I come in with my complete game. If Scott wants to take me to the ground, I have to work on getting back up. Or if he keeps me down, I have to keep fighting him off my back. You can’t just go in there and expect to stand up. MMA is a complete game and you have to be a complete fighter to compete at a high level. I believe this is a very high-level fight for me, as well as Scott Smith, and we are going to bring it to the cage. I really think this is going to be an exciting fight.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): You brought up something I wanted to touch on briefly. Up until recently, you really have made your name off of other fighters. Granted, you have been in Martial Arts forever, but not the sport of MMA. You beat Tony Fryklund, then Frank Shamrock, and in each of those fights you were the fighter seeking the recognition. Now, with Scott Smith, who is a UFC vet with many wars under his belt, the script is kind of flipped on you. Smith will be looking to capitalize on your name. How do you see that little drama playing out in the cage?

You know, it doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve done what I’ve done in martial arts and in MMA and no one can take that away. I got my title shot against Frank Shamrock and beat him, and I performed at a high level. You look at our records, you know he has a lot more experience and he has a ton of TV time, but he has also taken a lot of damage. For me, I’ve established myself as a martial artist and I just try to carry myself in the best light possible and I try to represent MMA in the best way I can.

In this game you have to train like a champion, fight like a champion, and if some reason I lose, I’ll lose like a champion. For me, I don’t have that mentality that I can beat anyone. I just go in there and fight to the best of my abilities. And I truly think, at my best, I’m a difficult fighter to figure out. That’s why I have this clean record in kickboxing and MMA as an undefeated fighter. I didn’t go undefeated for no reason. I’ve fought guys with heavy hands before--from the Russians to the Chinese, so I also have a lot of experience under my belt. It’s two guys with a lot of experience in MMA and martial arts and we are going to go in there and put on a show. And we will see who is left standing after the smoke clears.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): You know, and I don’t want to bring this up to embarrass you or anything, but the Bruce Lee comparisons… I mean, you are doing things in the cage that no one thought possible. When I talk to my casual friends about Strikeforce and Cung Le, they always seem to come back to, “Oh that’s the Bruce Lee guy!” Much like Anderson Silva and a couple of others, you really are re-writing the books on what we thought was possible in MMA.

You know that gives me a lot of honor to be mentioned in the same name as a Bruce Lee or Anderson Silva. I just try to go out there and do my best and that’s all I can do. I don’t predict anything, I just know it’s going to be an exciting fight and come December 19th we will definitely see who is the better fighter.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): When you look at a fighter like Scott Smith, if you were coaching one of your students, Anthony Johnson, whoever--what would you tell them to look out for? And what do you see in Scott Smith’s game that you could capitalize on?

Well Scott likes to bang, so he’s going to come forward. So you can’t really hold back with him or push it too much, you just have to be in and out and fight smart. You can’t really fear his power but you have to respect it. At the same time, you have to remember he is going to be walking into the same power you will be walking into. For me, if I’m coaching someone to fight Scott Smith, I say fight smart, fight in and out and don’t fight his game. He likes to slug it out and if you fight smart, it always works out better. You don’t always win, but it works out better because you are fighting your style, not his style.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Alright. Now, getting to the question on everyone’s mind, Jake Shields. As you’ve heard, no doubt, Jake has been saying all sorts of stuff in the media about how you are ducking him, how you gave up your belt so you didn’t have to fight him, how you are hand-picking your opponents and how you don’t want anything to do with him. Jake always has seemed like a quiet and reserved guy to me, but in the last few months it seems like he is really letting loose. What are your thoughts on all this?

You know, Jake Shields and I both come from different backgrounds. I come from a more traditional background, more respect, more honor and Jake comes from his background. You know, for Jake to be all quiet and reserved, to now being what he is, it doesn’t bother me at all. Jake is not the first person to use my name for publicity and he won’t be the last. For me, I don’t get to say, I want to fight this guy, or I want to fight that guy--it’s the promotions job to do that. Scott Coker wouldn’t be where he is today, if he didn’t know how to match-make and put on a great show.

You know, if the time comes for me to fight Jake for the belt, then wow, that’s great. Because after my movie fell through, I made a deal with Scott that I would come back and fight. I’m just honoring my word with Scott Coker. If Jake wants to talk smack and say I dodged him, then that’s fine. In this sport you have to have a thick skin, and really, it’s just his way of getting publicity. I think his team needs to re-think their approach and guide him on how to get better publicity, rather than just throw my name out there. Because at the same time, Jake has a lot of fans, but I have a lot of fans as well. But when you dog someone like that, you lose fans. My fans can’t really respect someone like that and other people in the community might feel the same way.

I don’t handpick my opponents and after a 20 month layoff, I don’t think a fight with Scott Smith is easy by any stretch of the imagination. They’re not throwing me a bone or anything. The promotion knows how to put on a fight and put butts in the seats. They aren’t just catering to the hardcore fans, but they are saying, OK let’s really bring MMA to another level and lets get some new fans. Because if they are going to watch, they have a wrestler in Matt Lindland, and they have Jacare, the top Jiu-Jitsu fighter in the world. Look at the line-up, you have Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez, it’s just amazing. If people who have never really watched MMA, watch these fights, then they are going to be a new fan for sure.

That’s what Strikeforce is doing, they are focused on putting on truly amazing cards and allowing for new fans to grow. If they think a fight between Jake and I is going to be good for them and make new fans, they are going to make it happen. That’s not my job though, my job is to be in the gym training for whoever they put in front of me. Also, lets see how long Jake holds onto that belt. Look at all the talent coming in, you have Dan Henderson, Jacare, Melvin Manhoef--it’s not like I’m at the top of that list. If the promotion takes a chance on me and I beat Jake, what happens when I have to go and do 3 or 4 more movies? What happens to the belt then? It goes back to what happened this last time, and Scott Coker has to make a tough decision.

You know, Scott is all for me doing these movies, as well, because when I’m out there I’m promoting and bringing new fans to the sport. So they have a lot of things to look at and a lot of things to worry about as is. Right now, I just have to be focused on Scott Smith and this fight as a ‘super fight.’ If Scott Coker wants me to keep taking these super fight’s once in a while, that’s fine. If I want to compete for a belt and be a champion, I can’t do movies. And with a couple of films lined up for next year, I have to strike while the iron is hot.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Well that’s what I kind of wanted to ask you. What do you want out of Mixed Martial Arts, Cung? Do you want to be a champion who defends his belt a couple times a year, or are you content being a movie star and just doing super fights every once in a while? I know you are 37 and you aren’t getting any younger, so I completely understand, but where do you stand on the juggling act?

You know, right now, like I said, I’m a martial artist first and I love to compete. I’ll compete when I have the opportunity to compete, but like you said, I’m 37 years old and I can’t do this forever. I guarantee you that any other fighter given the opportunity I have, would do the exact same thing. I’m talking big budget, Hollywood movies, that go straight to the theater. I’ve had at least a half dozen offers for straight to DVD movies, but my management, on the Hollywood side, passes on all of them. Why would I do those when I’ve done movies with Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, and Channing Tatum? Channing and I became good friends while working on our movie, Fighting, and we are working on a project for 2010 or 2011. It’s like a buddy-buddy action type flick, so things are really moving. But at the same time, I love to compete and that is where my roots are, and for all the people who thought I wouldn’t come back, because they thought I was just going to do movies, I just hope they are happy. I’m sure they were surprised, but I had a little time and I wanted to come back and compete.

Just like Herschel Walker, I mean, he doesn’t have to compete. He’s a legend in football, but he wants to try it out and test himself. You know, this is what I want to do, I want to do both, kind of like Bo Jackson. I want to do movies and I want to fight. My time is limited in fighting and I have to do what I can for my future, and it is what it is. I can only do my best and at the end of the day I have to make sure that food is on the table. I have two boys, a wife, and a mortgage. I can’t fight forever, so I have to ask what happens when I can’t fight anymore?

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): What do you think about the recent signings? Dan Henderson, Jacare, Melvin Manhoef, etc… I mean, I can’t think of a more exciting, stand-up war, then a fight with you and Melvin Manhoef.

Definitely. I think that’s the reason Strikeforce signed these fighters, but at the same time there are some things these fighters have to do. I mean, Melvin Manhoef is known to the hardcore fans but now they have to build him to the casual fans. The general fans push for these fights and that’s how the promotion works. They have to build these fighters so the general public is like, “Wow! What a great fight that will be.” Because if they don’t, no one may tune in.

For me, I really can’t look past Scott Smith, because he is going to be tough for all 3 rounds and anything can happen with 4 oz. gloves. I’m just really happy to be back in there and I’ll be really happy after the fight so I can eat a large pizza, and some chicken wings and milk chocolate bars. It may suck after, but it’ll be great going down! You know, I’m really just living great, I’m loving every second. I’m in the movies, I’m coaching fighters, I’m a fan, I’m fighting again, it really is great and I feel very blessed. So like I said, one fight at a time and one day at a time, because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Definitely. So you mentioned junk food, is there a little fat kid inside Cung Le trying to get out [laugh]?

Oh yeah, well you know, I usually have one or two cheat days a year. Lately I’ve just been cleaning up my diet and feeling good, but when I put that junk food in my body it doesn’t react too well with training. But I definitely feel it calling me right now.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Um, I think you’ll be just fine. Two cheat days a year doesn’t sound too bad. So what do you think about the Dan Henderson signing? Is the possibility of a match-up between you two have you excited?

Well like I said, I can’t really think about anything other than Scott Smith. As far as Dan Henderson goes, he is an amazing fighter. Dan Henderson will certainly put butts in the seats and he is also one of those fighters that doesn’t really need a tune-up fight. He can come in right away and compete at a high level. And I’ll tell you what, Jake Shields can talk all he wants now, but he is going to have to go through Dan Henderson and that’s no favorable match-up for anyone. I’d rather fight Jake before I fought Dan.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): [laugh] I don’t know if I can blame you man. Like you said, he comes in right away and he can contend for the belt. The name says it all, Dan Henderson.

Yeah, I’ve always been a big fan of Randy Couture and Dan Henderson. What those guys have been able to do at their age is really remarkable. They perform at such a high level and it shows me that if I take care of my body and do the right things, I’ll hopefully be able to do the same type of things. It really is a great signing by Strikeforce and the exposure that both Dan and Strikeforce will get is great. I mean, look at the last CBS card with Fedor, what did that do, 5.8 million views?

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Yup.

Yeah, so that will be great for Dan and Clinch Gear and everything else. Also, look at Herschel Walker. I mean here’s a guy who doesn’t need the money, he’s a legend in football. And he just wants to get in there and fight because he’s a fan and wants to try it out. It’s going to spark a lot of interest for a lot of different people. It’s signings like Dan and Herschel that will take MMA to the level of the NFL. You know fantasy football, I’m liking that right now. How about fantasy MMA?

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): That’s interesting you brought up Herschel. I had a friend who was over at AKA doing a story on some of their fighters, and he told me that when he arrived he noticed a guy in the back corner of the gym working out. He was hitting the pads and working his footwork, and my friend told me after about 15 minutes he realized it was Herschel. He said up until that point, he thought he was just some young twenty-something upstart just working out. He said he looked in great shape and he had some real skill. I know we can’t expect too much from Herschel, but at the same time I think he could surprise some people.

You know, when you are at the top of a sport--especially the position he played in the NFL, you have that workers mentality. What you put into something is what you will get out. And he’s bringing that same work ethic into the gym.

Actually Javier Mendez (American Kickboxing Academy coach) brought him to my gym on Saturday, along with a bunch of other wrestler’s to wrestle with me. And let me tell you, Herschel really is an awesome athlete. I mean, he’s so open to instruction. I show him one thing and he’s got it, I show him one tip and he’s using the tip on me. He’s an awesome athlete with amazing strength and I think he’s going to surprise some people.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): Well that’s good. I think everyone likes a success story. And I think the whole MMA world is wishing him well. After all, you have to start somewhere right?

Absolutely.

Ryan McKinnell (Examiner.com): OK Cung, last question. When it’s all said and done, what do you want people to say about you? How do you want to be remembered?

I want people to say, Cung Le is a true Martial Artist and one heck of an exciting fighter.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

*K-1*

I didn't know he went into K-1!


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## alizio (May 27, 2009)

another fraudulent champion running his mouth. Start fighting real MMArtists if you want real MMA respect, you are obviously a gifted kickboxer but nothing much has been proven in MMA imo and he will be exposed very, very shortly on the ground. Prob Frank could have done it had he not broken his arm but this is another perfect matchup for Cung, Smith will just stand and bang with Cung.


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## Nefilim777 (Jun 24, 2009)

Yeah I agree, seriously good kickboxer, but he's yet to comprehensively prove himself in MMA. Not saying he can't though, he's one talented bloke! Hopefully he'll fight a lot more now instead of acting...


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## HitOrGetHit (Jun 29, 2009)

Cung Le and Hendo! Hendo would take him down and pound him out. If Shields or Miller got him down, he would likely be submitted!


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## TViddy (Dec 23, 2008)

alizio said:


> another fraudulent champion running his mouth. Start fighting real MMArtists if you want real MMA respect, you are obviously a gifted kickboxer but nothing much has been proven in MMA imo and he will be exposed very, very shortly on the ground. Prob Frank could have done it had he not broken his arm but this is another perfect matchup for Cung, Smith will just stand and bang with Cung.


Are you friggin kidding me? You don't call Frank Shamrock an MMA artist? You dont think Frank has a ground game and submissions. You guys seem to not know that Cung was an all American high school and college wrestler. Did you not see his fight with Morgan, He threw him around like a rag doll. And don't use the excuse that Frank could have beaten him if he didnt break his hands. He broke his hand at the end of the 4th round. Get your facts straight before YOU run your mouth. Its funny how you call Cung a fraud when he's obviously an accomplished Martial Artist.


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## The Horticulturist (Feb 16, 2009)

TViddy said:


> Are you friggin kidding me? You don't call Frank Shamrock an MMA artist? You dont think Frank has a ground game and submissions. You guys seem to not know that Cung was an all American high school and college wrestler. Did you not see his fight with Morgan, He threw him around like a rag doll. And don't use the excuse that Frank could have beaten him if he didnt break his hands. He broke his hand at the end of the 4th round. Get your facts straight before YOU run your mouth. Its funny how you call Cung a fraud when he's obviously an accomplished **Martial Artist.*


Frank gave him the fight by refusing to take it to the ground. 
In effect, he negated he OWN submission and ground skills, giving Le a kickboxing match. It had nothing to do with Cung defending it.


* Yes, you are 100% right there. Cung Le is an accomplished Martial Artist.. but not an accomplished Mixed Martial Artist, when you compare his competition level.

The guy is an undersized kickboxer, he's afraid to fight anyone of a skill level to back up his hype to this point. 

Let's see what happens down the line.


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## mattreis324 (Mar 24, 2009)

Yeah, the reason is because he's only fought cans and a past-his-prime Frank Shamrock. Let's see how he does against Shields, Hendo, or Mayhem.


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## daitrong (May 27, 2007)

TViddy said:


> Are you friggin kidding me? You don't call Frank Shamrock an MMA artist? You dont think Frank has a ground game and submissions. You guys seem to not know that Cung was an all American high school and college wrestler. Did you not see his fight with Morgan, He threw him around like a rag doll. And don't use the excuse that Frank could have beaten him if he didnt break his hands. He broke his hand at the end of the 4th round. Get your facts straight before YOU run your mouth. Its funny how you call Cung a fraud when he's obviously an accomplished Martial Artist.


I agree, you can be a successful MMA fighter without having a great ground game. Look at Chuck Liddell, his ground game is very suspect, but he manages to do very well for years because he has great take down and sub defenses. If no one can take Cung Le down, then well, who out there can really stand and trade with him? Cung's proven himself to be a great martial artist. Alizio's just an angry person who tends to pout and scream all the time, as if it somehow makes his argument more compelling.


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## Mjr (Apr 22, 2007)

mattreis324 said:


> Yeah, the reason is because he's only fought cans and a past-his-prime Frank Shamrock. Let's see how he does against Shields, Hendo, or Mayhem.


I want to see him fight Mayhem. Shields will lay on him for 5 rounds. If he somehow gets past Mayhem (I doubt it) then feed him to Shields.



daitrong said:


> Alizio's just an angry person who tends to pout and scream all the time, as if it somehow makes his argument more compelling.


100% correct!


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

alizio said:


> another fraudulent champion running his mouth. Start fighting real MMArtists if you want real MMA respect, you are obviously a gifted kickboxer but nothing much has been proven in MMA imo and he will be exposed very, very shortly on the ground. Prob Frank could have done it had he not broken his arm but this is another perfect matchup for Cung, Smith will just stand and bang with Cung.


Le isn't even a gifted kickboxer, he is average at best, Manhoef would destroy him in the first round, fact is he had a competitive fight against a past his prime Frank Shamrock who only fought Le's game. Le has fought absolutely nobody who is relevant in the sport in this day and age. To be perfectly honest Im not even gonna write off Smith even if he does try and stand with Le. 

Cung Le is easily the most overated fighter to ever step into a cage, the fact that people would actually mention him in the same sentence as a guy like Dan Henderson is laughable at best.


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## khoveraki (Jun 28, 2009)

Toxic said:


> Le isn't even a gifted kickboxer, he is average at best, Manhoef would destroy him in the first round, fact is he had a competitive fight against a past his prime Frank Shamrock who only fought Le's game. Le has fought absolutely nobody who is relevant in the sport in this day and age. To be perfectly honest Im not even gonna write off Smith even if he does try and stand with Le.
> 
> Cung Le is easily the most overated fighter to ever step into a cage, the fact that people would actually mention him in the same sentence as a guy like Dan Henderson is laughable at best.




Every kickboxing, thai boxing, karate, and general striking coach I've ever met regard Cung Le's standup very highly. I guess you know something they don't?


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

I know he couldn't destroy Frank Shamrock who has never been considered a great striker even in his prime, Nick Diaz destroyed Frank Shamrock standing, shouldn't such an elite level MW kickboxer as you claim Le is be able to do that much quicker than a LW MMA fighter?


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## Mjr (Apr 22, 2007)

khoveraki said:


> Every kickboxing, thai boxing, karate, and general striking coach I've ever met regard Cung Le's standup very highly. I guess you know something they don't?


Yeah credit where credit is due, Cung Le's standup is brilliant.


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## khoveraki (Jun 28, 2009)

Toxic said:


> I know he couldn't destroy Frank Shamrock who has never been considered a great striker even in his prime, Nick Diaz destroyed Frank Shamrock standing, shouldn't such an elite level MW kickboxer as you claim Le is be able to do that much quicker than a LW MMA fighter?


Frank Shamrock isn't a b-level striker, and neither is Nick Diaz.


You should know that MMA striking is much different than normal kickboxing, you have to be cautious due to take-downs.


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

khoveraki said:


> Frank Shamrock isn't a b-level striker, and neither is Nick Diaz.
> 
> 
> You should know that MMA striking is much different than normal kickboxing, you have to be cautious due to take-downs.


Neither guy is ever gonna be brought up in a thread discussing the top strikers in MMA, Shamrock looked fairly evenly matched with Le, neither could strike with a real fierce striker.

I realize there is a diffrence in the striking of MMA and kickboxing but despite all of Le's flashy striking he would get owned by a top level stiker. Cung Le should stick to movies cause he is not an elite level striker and sure as hell is not an MMA fighter.


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## vandalian (Oct 14, 2006)

I've actually got Smith winning this. He's one of the best punchers -- and definitely the hardest hitter -- Le has yet faced. He's got a solid chin, too.
I'm looking for Le to score early with kicks and punches, before Smith finally cracks him with a counter right and follows up for a TKO.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

*Type of Match*

So basically you are saying this will be a slugfest and that Smith will win.


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## Chileandude (Jan 17, 2008)

Wow very long interview, i'll have to read it when i come back.


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## attention (Oct 18, 2006)

khoveraki said:


> Every kickboxing, thai boxing, karate, and general striking coach I've ever met regard Cung Le's standup very highly. I guess you know something they don't?


Yeah... Le is a great kickboxing 'coach'... thats it.

You know how the saying goes... those that cant do, teach

thats not to say he isnt skilled technically... or that he couldnt hold his own in the stand up game... but his talent is being overly hyped... and Im a Cung Le fan


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

*Coaching*

So he is a technical coach but not a good fighter, interesting assessment.


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## attention (Oct 18, 2006)

kantowrestler said:


> So he is a technical coach but not a good fighter, interesting assessment.


Whoa! hold them horses... I think he IS a GOOD fighter... but Im realistic about his rankings on the striking ELITE list.


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## vandalian (Oct 14, 2006)

kantowrestler said:


> So basically you are saying this will be a slugfest and that Smith will win.


Throwing highlight-reel strikes against a powerful counter-puncher is a good way to get knocked out.


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## HitOrGetHit (Jun 29, 2009)

vandalian said:


> Throwing highlight-reel strikes against a powerful counter-puncher is a good way to get knocked out.


Exactly. Just watch Urijah Faber try to do some jumping spinning elbow and run right into a right hook from Mike Brown... That hurt to say but it was a good example.


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## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

I think Le will win this next fight.

But given the MW talent pool in Strikeforce right now..

Sheilds, Hendo, Lawler, Radach, Jacare, Miller.....

His undefeated days are numbered.


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## khoveraki (Jun 28, 2009)

J.P. said:


> I think Le will win this next fight.
> 
> But given the MW talent pool in Strikeforce right now..
> 
> ...



And Jacare, Hendo, and Shields are TERRIBLE stylistic match-ups for Cung Le. Both of them are fantastic at getting strikers to the ground and neutralizing them


I think Jacare especially would eat Cung Le alive. And don't let him anywhere near the 205 division, with Babalu and the Dreamcatcher.


I can't even imagine what Mousasi would do to him...


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## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

khoveraki said:


> And don't let him anywhere near the 205 division, with Babalu and the Dreamcatcher.
> 
> 
> I can't even imagine what Mousasi would do to him...


Not to mention Melvin Manhoef or Rafael Feijao. Cung is really more of a novelty of Strikeforce than a legitimate beast IMO.


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## Tomislav III (Aug 22, 2009)

alizio said:


> another fraudulent champion running his mouth. Start fighting real MMArtists if you want real MMA respect, you are obviously a gifted kickboxer but nothing much has been proven in MMA imo and he will be exposed very, very shortly on the ground. Prob Frank could have done it had he not broken his arm but this is another perfect matchup for Cung, Smith will just stand and bang with Cung.


I think you're being a bit harsh on Cung Le and others who are talented in one form of martial arts but have had less experience in MMA - particularly kick boxers.

Maybe it's just your tone, but I don't think you're giving him a fair shot.

I like Cung Le. I think he's going to be a very good MMA fighter.


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## khoveraki (Jun 28, 2009)

J.P. said:


> Not to mention Melvin Manhoef or Rafael Feijao. Cung is really more of a novelty of Strikeforce than a legitimate beast IMO.


Eh... I think Cung Le would just about tool Manhoef. A strong, moderately fast boxer is a great matchup for Manhoef. Rafael... I dunno. That'd be either a tough fight or an easy fight for Cung at this point, I really couldn't tell. Either way I'd DEFINITELY go out of my way to watch it. :thumb02:


Could you imagine the slaughter Cung Le would face at the hands of Mousasi... raise01:


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## Slug (Apr 8, 2007)

I think you guys are forgetting the fact that he is only entering his 5th or 6th fight... Dude's MMA career is still young, and to talk so lowly of him is just ridiculous. You don't enter your 5th bout and fight one of the top p4p fighters in the world, unless of course you are Brock Lesnar.

In any case, Cung Le will probably knock out Smith real quick(early 2nd round) because Smith is probably gonna stand and bang with Le and I don't see smith having a striking advantage.

Oh, and one funny thing about the article.. how they said Pandorum was a hit. I just checked the boxoffice info.. production budget was $40mil and the movie only made $13 mil. That was a really dumb statement whoever wrote the article.


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## UrbanBounca (Sep 13, 2009)

Slug said:


> I think you guys are forgetting the fact that he is only entering his 5th or 6th fight... Dude's MMA career is still young, and to talk so lowly of him is just ridiculous.


He brought it on himself, by talking so highly of himself.


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## jcal (Oct 15, 2006)

Toxic said:


> Neither guy is ever gonna be brought up in a thread discussing the top strikers in MMA, Shamrock looked fairly evenly matched with Le, neither could strike with a real fierce striker.
> 
> I realize there is a diffrence in the striking of MMA and kickboxing but despite all of Le's flashy striking he would get owned by a top level stiker. Cung Le should stick to movies cause he is not an elite level striker and sure as hell is not an MMA fighter.


 Your absolutely right about Le and Frank. That fight was as close as they come up until shamrock broke his arm, and all though Shamrock was a great fighter back in the days when people didnt know how to defend a submission and they didnt test for steroids, he was really never a good striker. Nick Diaz proved just how good Frank is at the mma of nowadays. And now le is gonna fight another UFC throwaway fighter in Smith (who I like) but lets get serious SF! Smith is not even a ranked fighter anymore that I know of, but yet SF will tout him as being relevent to the division. By the way heres Shamrocks career record, as you can see it doesnt amount to being a good striker.
Professional record breakdown 
35 matches 23 wins 10 losses 
*By knockout 2* 
By submission 14
By decision 5 
Draws 2


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## HitOrGetHit (Jun 29, 2009)

jcal said:


> Your absolutely right about Le and Frank. That fight was as close as they come up until shamrock broke his arm, and all though Shamrock was a great fighter back in the days when people didnt know how to defend a submission and they didnt test for steroids, he was really never a good striker. Nick Diaz proved just how good Frank is at the mma of nowadays. And now le is gonna fight another UFC throwaway fighter in Smith (who I like) but lets get serious SF! Smith is not even a ranked fighter anymore that I know of, but yet SF will tout him as being relevent to the division. By the way heres Shamrocks career record, as you can see it doesnt amount to being a good striker.
> Professional record breakdown
> 35 matches 23 wins 10 losses
> *By knockout 2*
> ...


Well I think that SF knows that Le needs a fight that will just get him back into it. But they are hyping it up because he is one of their more popular fighters. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.


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## Tomislav III (Aug 22, 2009)

UrbanBounca said:


> He brought it on himself, by talking so highly of himself.


He's a fighter. This is what fighters do. Other than Fedor or Amir Sadollah every fighter I've ever known, boxing or MMA have all been highly confident individuals who think they're capable of beating anyone on Earth with their hands tied behind their backs.


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## khoveraki (Jun 28, 2009)

When does Cung fight? I can't find a stream and don't get showtime...


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## jcal (Oct 15, 2006)

Tomislav III said:


> He's a fighter. This is what fighters do. Other than Fedor or Amir Sadollah every fighter I've ever known, boxing or MMA have all been highly confident individuals who think they're capable of beating anyone on Earth with their hands tied behind their backs.


I guess youve never heard of Anderson Silva:confused02:


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

LMAO, I was so happy to see the legend of Cung Le finally get exposed last night, maybe we can finally quit hearing about how great this guy is, never has a fighter been more overated than Cung.

Where is CornBread, me and that f***er founded the Cung Le is overated train and he is nowhere around to celebrate.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Toxic said:


> LMAO, I was so happy to see the legend of Cung Le finally get exposed last night, maybe we can finally quit hearing about how great this guy is, never has a fighter been more overated than Cung.
> 
> Where is CornBread, me and that f***er founded the Cung Le is overated train and he is nowhere around to celebrate.


_What?? Even the Cung Lee without Cardio without focus beats the **** out of Smith! He domiated this fight not only he dominated it a fashioning way raise01: He put on such an outsatanding performance last night :thumbsup: Only because he lost a littel bit focus at the end ( because he knew that Smith couldn't win the fight anymore except via TKO or KO ) that was a huge mistake what he made, but still he is an outstanding fighter! Nobody can through so many spinning back kicks and lands all of them perfectly. 

Cung Lee will come back, trust me Toxic _


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## attention (Oct 18, 2006)

BobbyCooper said:


> _What?? Even the Cung Lee without Cardio without focus beats the **** out of Smith! He domiated this fight not only he dominated it a fashioning way raise01: He put on such an outsatanding performance last night :thumbsup: Only because he lost a littel bit focus at the end ( because he knew that Smith couldn't win the fight anymore except via TKO or KO ) that was a huge mistake what he made, but still he is an outstanding fighter! Nobody can through so many spinning back kicks and lands all of them perfectly.
> 
> Cung Lee will come back, trust me Toxic _


WTF?!? seriously dude.
How did Cung Le beat the <bleep> out of Smith... lets look at their faces after the fight ... please.




























and Smith bleeds EASY.

Im a Le fan, but seriously... Le's performance has some serious FLASH, but Scott was never in any serious trouble... AT ALL.

How many shots did Scott land prior to this KO?
How about almost ZILCH!

Then the first connect Scott gets puts Le on the ground.
C'mon dude, this is a mma match not a kick demo... and this clearly shows that Le isnt in the mma elite.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

_I don't comment on that!

The only thing i have to say is, that the fight already should have been stopped in the 1 round. Smith didn't defended himself intelligent anymore! TKO Victory for Cung anything else was a robbery!

Smith was outclassed in every way!_


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## attention (Oct 18, 2006)

BobbyCooper said:


> _I don't comment on that!
> 
> The only thing i have to say is, that the fight already should have been stopped in the 1 round. *Smith didn't defended himself intelligent anymore! *TKO Victory for Cung anything else was a robbery!_


LOL!

Again... Le was great with the stand up... but on the ground, he was completely ineffective.

He was like a fish out of water trying to finish Smith on the ground. Smith *was * defending himself... but he didnt need to very much because Le wasnt doing anything that was hurting him.

LMAO! 'Smith didn't defended himself intelligent anymore'... please!










This was the best Le had to offer on the ground?!?!
This was Scott in trouble?!?!
geeze... how nice it must be in the world you live in.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

_You know the World i am living in has flowers, birds flying around, the grass is green and sun looks colorful, everybody is kind and lovely  It's a beautiful world!

I see trees of green...red roses too
I see em bloom ... for me and for *you* 
And i think to myself... what a wonderful world

Yes youre right Cung was great in the Standup and looked phenomenal even through he took a break to do Movies. He destroyed Smith standing up, he had no answer for Cung Lee's attacks. And youre picture shows it very well how he demolished Smith with his Hammerfists on the ground. That was the moment were the fight could have easily stopped from the referee. Smith did nothing to defend himself he was laying and praying. You can compare this one to Jon Jones vs. Hamill were the fight should have been stopped as well before Bones trough the illegal elbows. 

But you have youre opinion and I have mine. Maybe we agree on a different topic next time! 

Was that a rhyme in English?^^_


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

attention said:


> WTF?!? seriously dude.
> How did Cung Le beat the <bleep> out of Smith... lets look at their faces after the fight ... please.
> 
> 
> ...


This Le's kicks may look cool and be flashy but there is a reason they are not common place, pretty hard to argue against the fact that as cool as Le's made for movies kicks look, Smith's good old striking was much more effective.


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## attention (Oct 18, 2006)

BobbyCooper said:


> ...
> Yes youre right Cung was great in the Standup and looked phenomenal even through he took a break to do Movies. He destroyed Smith standing up, he had no answer for Cung Lee's attacks. And youre picture shows it very well how he demolished Smith with his Hammerfists on the ground. *That was the moment were the fight could have easily stopped from the referee*. Smith did nothing to defend himself he was laying and praying. You can compare this one to Jon Jones vs. Hamill were the fight should have been stopped as well before Bones trough the illegal elbows.
> 
> But you have youre opinion and I have mine. Maybe we agree on a different topic next time!
> ...


Fair enuf... we can agree to disagree... peace 

But I just cant agree with a stoppage at that point... Scott didnt seemed hurt at *ANY *point really. 
He was on the ground mostly because he was off balance and he was 'pushed' down by a kick... not because he was 'rocked' and was 'dropped' to the ground.

The kicks that did land and 'looked' like they did damage, didnt really have much on them... or else they should have put Smith down... but they didnt.

example: this kick land flush right on the side of the head...









In the end, I think Smith 'knew' Le had nothing that could hurt him, walked him down and took what was his.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

Toxic said:


> This Le's kicks may look cool and be flashy but there is a reason they are not common place, pretty hard to argue against the fact that as cool as Le's made for movies kicks look, Smith's good old striking was much more effective.


_
But that doesn't change the fact, that Smith got outclassed in 2 1/2 rounds from Lee! Why didn't he use his so superior Striking earlier to avoid the punishment he took in the first 2 1/2 Rounds?? Becasue he didn't found a way! 

Lee would have easily won that fight via unanimous decision if he would have stayed into training then doing movies. _


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

Le took the punishment not Smith, frankly I think Smith bit into the hype and was intimidated especially considering Smith dropped his last fight and desperatly wanted to put himself back in the mix.


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## Pound&Mound (Dec 10, 2007)

LOL Le got beat by a C fighter. He looked like trash when getting pressure and his hands are horrible. 

And that fight getting stopped?? LOL what a noob. There ws minimal damage and he was defending himself... because barely anything landed LOLOLOLOL.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

attention said:


> Fair enuf... we can agree to disagree... peace
> 
> But I just cant agree with a stoppage at that point... Scott didnt seemed hurt at *ANY *point really.
> He was on the ground mostly because he was off balance and he was 'pushed' down by a kick... not because he was 'rocked' and was 'dropped' to the ground.
> ...


_ Yes the discussion with the right stoppage will go on, it came up big again after the Jon Jones fight. It's not easy for a referee to find the right moment. Many people said after the DQ from Jones that the fight should have been stopped already until those illegal elbows came down. And Hamill did the dame thing like Smith just lay and pray. 

And yes Smith is known for taking huge punishment, that might be the key why. It's a tough dude thats for sure. But if you can't finsih a guy you have to win it with points wich he would if he wouldn't stopped fighting for nearly a year for doing low budget movies _


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## attention (Oct 18, 2006)

BobbyCooper said:


> _
> But that doesn't change the fact, that Smith got outclassed in 2 1/2 rounds from Lee! Why didn't he use his so superior Striking earlier to avoid the punishment he took in the first 2 1/2 Rounds?? Becasue he didn't found a way!
> 
> Lee would have easily won that fight via unanimous decision if he would have stayed into training then doing movies. _


Heh, Scott didnt have 'superior' striking... he had more *effective *striking.
Again... how many strikes did Scott land the entire fight compared to Le (its *Le* btw, not Le*e*... of Vietnamese origin...not Chinese).

Scott got out 'scored'... if this was a point based Sanshou match, it was all Le... but this was a full contact mma bout... where you gotta be able to receive it as well as you dish it out.

I agree, Le would have won easily by UD had he just evaded and danced away the last 2 minutes.
But it was gonna be inevitable that he would run into someone that would land something in the future.


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## attention (Oct 18, 2006)

BobbyCooper said:


> _
> ...
> And yes Smith is known for taking huge punishment, that might be the key why. It's a tough dude thats for sure. But if you can't finsih a guy you have to win it with points wich he would if he wouldn't stopped fighting for nearly a year for doing low budget movies _


Heh... Dont get me wrong... I luv me some crazy sanshou moves in the cage... but Im realistic about his standing/ranking among the mma elite.

Also, Smith has been stopped before... by strikes... so really, this just puts into perspective what Cung brings to the table. He can out-point you any day of the week... so maybe full contact isnt where he belongs :confused02:


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

attention said:


> Scott got out 'scored'... if this was a point based Sanshou match, it was all Le... but this was a full contact mma bout... where you gotta be able to receive it as well as you dish it out.
> 
> I agree, Le would have won easily by UD had he just evaded and danced away the last 2 minutes.
> But it was gonna be inevitable that he would run into someone that would land something in the future.


_Like i said earlier, L*ee* ( i like the Chinese version a littel bit more ) would have easily won that fight if he would have stayed into training. But he didn't he likes to make Movies, so his main focus wasn't fighting at all. I hope he gets a revange on Smith because he beats him every given day when Lee is into fighting again not low budget movies. 

The same thing will happen to Rampage when he returns to the UFC._


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

Le sucks, he always sucked and was never more than a second rate striker.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

attention said:


> Heh... Dont get me wrong... I luv me some crazy sanshou moves in the cage... but Im realistic about his standing/ranking among the mma elite.
> 
> Also, Smith has been stopped before... by strikes... so really, this just puts into perspective what Cung brings to the table. He can out-point you any day of the week... so maybe full contact isnt where he belongs :confused02:


_His record will prove you wrong  even through i think you and Toxic are right, i never said that he was elite. And that his striking wasn't the best in MMA._



Toxic said:


> Le sucks, he always sucked and was never more than a second rate striker.


_Always loved him and will ever support him. Might be because i have a favour for Asian fighters _


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