| Cung Le | |
|---|---|
 Le at a Pandorum panel discussion at WonderCon, February 28, 2009
|
|
| Born | May 25, 1972 Saigon,  South Vietnam |
| Nationality |  Vietnamese American |
| Height | 5 ft 10.75 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Style | Sanshou, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Viet Vo Dao[1], Wrestling[2], Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3] |
| Fighting out of | San Jose, California |
| Team | American Kickboxing Academy |
| Rank | black belt in Tae Kwon Do blue belt in BJJ |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 12 |
| Losses | 0 |
| MMA record | |
| Total | 6 |
| Wins | 6 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Cung Le (born May 25, 1972) is a Vietnamese American kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and actor from San Jose, California. He was the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion before stepping down to further pursue his acting career.
Contents |
Life and career
Cung Le was born in Saigon, South Vietnam. He fled his home country with his mother in 1975 as the city fell to communist rule (reportedly fleeing in a helicopter under machine gun fire). He ended up in San Jose, California where early racial bullying inspired him to learn to fight. His mother enrolled him in Taekwondo classes at the age of 10. Since those first classes he has absorbed a variety of styles, and was undefeated as a professional kickboxer (22-0). He is a three time world champion and also coaches his own team, which is now 11-0 in team competition.[4]
Sanshou (sanda, Chinese boxing)
Cung Le is undefeated in his professional Sanshou career (17-0-0).[5] He has won three US Open International Martial Arts Championships (1994, 1995,1996). He has also won 4 US National Championships (Orlando, Florida 1994, Dallas, TX, 1995, Baltimore, MD, 1997). He earned three bronze medals in his amateur Sanshou world competition. He has been a three-time captain of the United States teams that competed and was the U.S. team captain at the World Wushu Championships in 1997 (Italy) and 1999 (Hong Kong). On December 15, 2001 he defeated Shonie Carter by unanimous decision in San Jose, California to win the IKF Pro Light-Heavyweight San Shou World Title.[5] In May 2003, Le entered into K-1 competitions where he garnered a 3-0 career record, including 1 knockout.[5]
MMA career
Le made his mixed martial arts debut at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie on March 10, 2006, at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, knocking out kickboxing rival Mike Altman at 3:51 of the first round. Three months later he faced KOTC veteran Brian Warren, knocking him out with a flurry of punches at 4:19 of the first round. At Strikeforce: Triple Threat on December 8, 2006, Le defeated Jason Von Flue in 0:43 when the fight had to be stopped due to a cut.
Le went on to fight the veteran Tony Fryklund who had just suffered a spectacular loss to Anderson Silva one year prior. Like Silva, Le beat Fryklund via KO late in the third round. Soon after Le fought Sammy Morgan at Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives. He utilized his throws to keep Morgan off and 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 Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.
On September 17, 2009, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced that Le had relinquished his belt after securing another major motion picture deal. It was also announced that a bout between Jake Shields and Jason 'Mayhem' Miller will now be for Le's old title.[6]
Le will return to Strikeforce to face Scott Smith at Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19th, 2009.
Acting career
Kung Fu Cinema confirms Cung Le will co-star in the live-action Tekken film, based upon the popular martial arts fighting game, as Marshall Law. The movie has already completed filming, and is set to be released in 2009. Le had supporting roles in the science fiction film Pandorum with Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, and Fighting, released in 2009 alongside Channing Tatum.
Personal life
Cung has two sons with his ex-wife.[7] He and his wife Suzanne were married in August 2009.[8]
Championships and accomplishments
 |
This biography of a living person does not cite any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. (November 2009) Find sources: (Cung Le – news, books, scholar) |
| Result | Date | Championship | Weight | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | March 29, 2008 | Strikeforce Middleweight MMA World Champion | Middleweight | San Jose, California, USA |
| Win | 2004 | ISKA Light Heavyweight K-1 Super Fight Champion(vs. Brian Warren) | Light Heavyweight | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
| Win | 2003 | ISKA Light Heavyweight K-1 Super Fight Champion(vs. Phil Petit) | Light Heavyweight | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
| Win | 2003 | ISKA Light Heavyweight K-1 Super Fight Champion(vs. Scott Sheeley) | Light Heavyweight | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
| Win | 2001 | IKF Light Heavyweight World Champion | Light Heavyweight | San Jose, California, USA |
| Win | 2000 | ISKA North American Light Heavyweight Champion | Light Heavyweight | San Jose, California, USA |
| Win | 2000 | ISKA Light Heavyweight K-1 Super fight Champion | Light Heavyweight | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
| Win | 2000 | ISKA Cruiserweight World Champion(title defense) | Cruiserweight | San Jose, California, USA |
| Win | 1999 | Art of War Light Heavyweight Champion, China vs. USA | Light Heavyweight | Honolulu, Hawaii, USA |
| Win | 1999 | ISKA Light Heavyweight Sanshou World Champion | Light Heavyweight | San Jose, California, USA |
| Win | 1998 | ISKA Cruiserweight World Champion | Cruiserweight | San Jose, California, USA |
| Win | 1998 | Draka Main Event Champion | Light Heavyweight | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Win | 1998 | Draka Under card Champion | Light Heavyweight | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Win | 1998 | Shidokan Team USA Champion (vs. Arne Soldwedel) | Light Heavyweight | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Win | 1998 | Shidokan Team USA Champion (vs. Laimon M. Keita) | Light Heavyweight | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Win | 1998 | Shidokan Team USA Champion (vs. Ben Harris) | Light Heavyweight | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
MMA record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 6 matches | 6 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Smith |
Strikeforce: Evolution | 12/19/2009 | San Jose, California |
|||||
| Win | Frank Shamrock |
TKO (Broken Arm) | EliteXC / Strikeforce - Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le | 3/29/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jose, California |
Won Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, Vacates title later due to filming obligations. |
| Win | Sammy Morgan |
KO (Body Kick) | Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives | 11/16/2007 | 3 | 1:58 | San Jose, California |
|
| Win | Tony Fryklund |
KO (Punch) | Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni | 6/22/2007 | 3 | 0:25 | San Jose, California |
|
| Win | Jason Von Flue |
TKO (Cut) | Strikeforce: Triple Threat | 12/8/2006 | 1 | 0:43 | San Jose, California |
|
| Win | Brian Warren |
TKO (Punches) | Strikeforce: Revenge | 6/9/2006 | 1 | 4:19 | San Jose, California |
|
| Win | Mike Altman |
KO (Punch) | Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie | 3/10/2006 | 1 | 3:51 | San Jose, California |
References
- ^ http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/152
- ^ http://martialarts.about.com/od/eventsandcompetitions/p/cungle.htm
- ^ http://www.strikeforce.com/fighters/CungLe.asp
- ^ http://www.cungle.com/movies.php
- ^ a b c http://www.cungle.com/fightprofile.php
- ^ "LE STEPS DOWN; SHIELDS VS. LAWLER FOR 185 BELT". MMAWeekly.com. 2009-09-17. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=9607&zoneid=2. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
- ^ "KNOXX’s Cung Le talks about 2008 and his upcoming movies for 2009". KNOXXGEAR.com. 2008-12-20. http://knoxxgear.wordpress.com/2008/12/20/knoxxs-cung-le-talks-about-2008-and-his-upcoming-movies-for-2009/. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ "Exclusive Cung Le Interview". 2009-08-13. http://www.octagonbuzz.com/exclusive-cung-le-interview/. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cung Le |
- CungLe.com (official website)
- IKF San Shou
- Professional MMA record for Cung Le from Sherdog
- Le's K-1 Record
- IMDB listing
- [1] Kung fu Magazine: Cung Le, Sanshou's Goldben Boy
- http://www.richmondmma.ca/cung.jpg
| Preceded by Frank Shamrock |
2nd Strikeforce Middleweight Champion March 29, 2008 - September 17, 2009 |
Vacant
Le stepped down due
to filming obligations Title next held by
Jake Shields |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
