Cung Le
Cung Le | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 25, 1972 Saigon, South Vietnam |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, mixed martial artist, kickboxer |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Known for | Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, UFC competitor, actor in Tekken and Dragon Eyes |
| Notable work | Tekken, Pandorum, Fighting, Bodyguards and Assassins, The Man with the Iron Fists, Dragon Eyes |
Cung Le (; born May 25, 1972) is an American actor and former professional athlete specializing in mixed martial arts, Sanshou, and kickboxing. He gained prominence in the MMA world through his participation in Strikeforce, where he compiled a 7–1 record and became the second Strikeforce Middleweight Champion by overcoming Frank Shamrock. Le eventually relinquished this title to concentrate on his acting pursuits. Additionally, he competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), finishing with a 2–2 record. In his kickboxing and Sanshou career, he held the International Kickboxing Federation Light Heavyweight World Championship, retiring undefeated with a 17–0 professional kickboxing record before transitioning into MMA.
In his acting career, Le has featured in several films such as Tekken, Pandorum, Fighting, and Bodyguards and Assassins (all released in 2009), as well as The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Puncture Wounds (2014), and Savage Dog (2017). He played a leading role in the martial arts movie Dragon Eyes (2012), starring alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme and produced by Joel Silver.
Background
Cung Lê was born in Saigon, South Vietnam (present-day Ho Chi Minh City). Just three days prior to the Fall of Saigon in 1975, he and his mother Anne escaped by helicopter, while his father stayed behind and was subsequently imprisoned. After spending several months in a refugee camp in the Philippines, Le’s family resettled in San Jose, California. Facing early experiences of discrimination there inspired him to take up martial arts. At the age of 10, his mother enrolled him in Tae Kwon Do classes.
Le began competing in Wrestling at age 14 and drew inspiration from Sylvester Stallone’s film Rocky, which motivated him to achieve All-American status during his high school wrestling career. He continued wrestling at West Valley College in California, where he won the California Junior College State Championship at 158 lb in 1990 and was named a junior college All-American. Throughout his martial arts journey, Le trained extensively across various disciplines including Vovinam, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kuntao, Sambo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, with a primary focus on Sanda. Before moving into MMA, he amassed a professional kickboxing record of 17–0 and secured three world kickboxing titles.
Sanshou and kickboxing career
Between 1994 and 1996, Le captured three US Open International Martial Arts Championships titles and claimed victory at the 1998 Shidokan tournament. He also earned four US National Championships across 1994, 1995, and 1997, alongside three bronze medals at amateur Sanshou world championships, compiling an amateur record of 18–3. At the World Wushu Championships, Le won bronze medals three times (1995, 1997, 1999) and served as team captain for the latter two events. On December 15, 2001, he secured the IKF International Kickboxing Federation Pro Light Heavyweight Sanda World Title by defeating Shonie Carter via unanimous decision. In May 2003, Le competed in K-1 events where he achieved a perfect 3–0 record including one knockout victory.
Strikeforce
Le made his mixed martial arts debut on March 10, 2006, at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie held at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, where he secured a first-round knockout against kickboxing opponent Mike Altman, whom he had previously defeated in a 1999 kickboxing match. Following this, Le achieved another first-round knockout against KOTC veteran Brian Warren, a fighter he had also bested by decision in a K-1 Sanshou contest. At Strikeforce: Triple Threat on December 8, 2006, Le claimed victory over UFC veteran Jason Von Flue through a cut stoppage in less than a minute. He continued his winning streak with TKO triumphs against Tony Fryklund and Sammy Morgan.
On March 29, 2008, during Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le, Le captured the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship by defeating MMA veteran Frank Shamrock via TKO, following the breaking of Shamrock’s right arm. On September 17, 2009, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker revealed that Le had vacated his title after securing a significant film contract.
After a 21-month break, Le returned to Strikeforce to compete against Scott Smith at Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19, 2009, where he suffered his first MMA defeat by TKO. He later avenged this loss on June 26 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, winning by second-round TKO over Smith.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Le has expressed that competing in the UFC represents the highest level of achievement in his fighting career and has committed to this goal by signing an initial six-fight deal with the promotion.
Although initially rumored to fight Vitor Belfort at UFC 139, Le instead faced former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva. Le’s unconventional kicking techniques and spinning backfist posed challenges for Silva; however, the bout concluded with a second-round TKO loss for Le after he suffered a broken nose. UFC President Dana White confirmed the stoppage was justified and noted that Le required hospitalization.
Le was slated to compete against former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin at UFC 148, but due to alterations in the fight card, he instead faced former title challenger Patrick Côté, securing his first UFC victory via unanimous decision.
Le headlined the event UFC: Macao on November 10, 2012, where he defeated Rich Franklin with a powerful hook punch resulting in a first-round knockout.
The Ultimate Fighter: China
In November 2013, Le was appointed as the head coach and mentor for The Ultimate Fighter: China, the Chinese edition of the series that premiered in December 2013.
Following an 18-month absence from competition, Le returned to face Michael Bisping on August 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 48. Although the opening round was competitive, Bisping took control from round two onward and secured a TKO victory in the fourth round. Subsequent to the fight, Le tested positive for elevated levels of HGH, resulting in an initial nine-month suspension that was later extended to twelve months by the UFC. However, due to procedural errors—including use of a non-WADA-approved laboratory, improper HGH testing protocols, and premature destruction of samples before confirmation—the UFC lifted Le’s suspension on October 21. On December 3, 2014, amid the controversy surrounding the drug test results, Le publicly requested to be released from his UFC contract.
On December 16, 2014, Le joined two other fighters in filing a class-action lawsuit against Zuffa, LLC., UFC’s parent company. The lawsuit accused Zuffa of engaging in anti-competitive practices that limited fighters’ professional opportunities. At that time, Le was the sole active UFC competitor involved in this legal action.
Retirement from MMA
On January 20, 2015, Gary Ibarra, Le's manager, revealed that Le would be stepping away from MMA after discussing his future with family members. Le had shown hesitation about continuing in the UFC, particularly following controversies in 2014 regarding accusations of performance-enhancing drug use, which he argued were based on inaccurate test outcomes. He insisted that the UFC owed him a formal apology. Le specified that his retirement pertained solely to MMA, leaving open the option to resume his professional kickboxing career, where he had previously competed.
Acting career
In 2009, Le portrayed Marshall Law in the live-action adaptation of Tekken, inspired by the well-known fighting video game. That same year, he took on supporting roles in Pandorum alongside Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, as well as in Fighting with Channing Tatum. He also appeared in the Hong Kong martial arts movie Bodyguards and Assassins, which featured his first fight sequence with renowned martial artist Donnie Yen.
Le participated in the Vietnamese variety program Paris By Night 99 – Tôi Là Người Việt Nam, where he was interviewed and spoke Vietnamese on camera.
In 2012, Le secured a leading role in the MMA-centered action film Dragon Eyes, co-starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and produced by Joel Silver. The storyline drew loose inspiration from Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. Additionally, he portrayed Bronze Lion in RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists released that year.
Le headlined the 2014 action feature Puncture Wounds, directed by Giorgio Serafini and co-written by James Coyne. In 2015, he appeared as an abbot in AMC's television series Into the Badlands. By 2017, he starred in the action film Savage Dog alongside Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror.
Film and television credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Sleight of Hand | Victor | |
| 2001 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Himself | TV episode: "Legends" |
| 2004 | Kwoon | Mort Ission | Direct-to-video |
| 2006 | Dark Assassin | The Assassin | |
| 2007 | Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter | Erik | |
| 2009 | Fighting | Dragon Le | |
| Pandorum | Manh | ||
| Bodyguards and Assassins | Sa Zhen-Shan | ||
| Tekken | Marshall Law | ||
| 2010 | True Legend | Militia Leader | |
| NCIS: Los Angeles | Himself | TV episode: "Hand-to-Hand" | |
| 2012 | Dragon Eyes | Ryan Hong | |
| The Man with the Iron Fists | Bronze Lion | ||
| 2013 | The Grandmaster | Tiexieqi | |
| 2014 | The Ultimate Fighter: China | Mentor | Reality TV series |
| Puncture Wounds | John Nguyen | ||
| 2015–2017 | Into the Badlands | Cyan / Abbot 1 | TV series; 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Hawaii Five-0 | Yakuza member | TV episode: "Pa'a Ka 'ipuka I Ka 'Upena Nananana" |
| 2017 | Savage Dog | Corporal Chef Boon | alongside Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror |
| Security | Dead Eyes | ||
| 2018 | Europe Raiders | Black Mantis |
Fighting style
Cung Le was predominantly recognized as a stand-up combatant, distinguished by his unconventional striking techniques that combined elements of Sanshou, Taekwondo, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His knockout wins were often delivered through his formidable kicking arsenal, notably his spinning back kick and spinning backfist.
Personal life
Le attributes his martial arts inspiration to legends such as Bruce Lee, Gordon Liu, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li. He is a father to two sons from a former marriage and is presently wed to Sunshine Spring Le, a Native American model specializing in swimwear.
In tribute to his Vietnamese roots, he incorporates the South Vietnam flag into his fight attire. Proficient in both English and Vietnamese, Le openly shares his Christian beliefs on various social media channels.
Kickboxing
- International Kickboxing Federation
- Held the IKF Sanshou World Light Heavyweight title once
- International Sport Karate Association
- Secured the ISKA Sanshou North American Light Heavyweight Championship once
- Claimed the ISKA Sanshou U.S. Light Heavyweight Championship once
- Won the ISKA Sanshou U.S. Light Cruiserweight Championship once
- Ho Tet Tae Kwon Do
- Grand Champion of the 1994 Ho Tet Tae Kwon Do Tournament
- USA International World Championships
- 1996 World Champion in Continuous Sparring Tae Kwon Do
- World Wide Draka Federation
- Winner of the 1998 Draka Tournament
- Shidokan Cup Bare-Knuckle Full Contact Karate
- Champion of the 1998 Shidokan Cup U.S. Tournament
Wushu sanda
- International Wushu Federation
- Earned bronze medals at the 1995, 1997, and 1999 WUF World Wushu Championships in Sanshou
- Black Belt Magazine
- Awarded Kung Fu Artist of the Year in 2007
Submission grappling
- Amateur Athletic Union
- National Champion of AAU Espoir Sambo in 1989
Mixed martial arts
- Strikeforce
- One-time Strikeforce Middleweight Champion
- Shares the record for most finishes in Strikeforce with seven
- Holds the record for most knockouts in Strikeforce with seven
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Received Fight of the Night honors once
- Awarded Knockout of the Night once
- UFC.com Awards
- 2011: Ranked eighth for Fight of the Year against Wanderlei Silva
- 2012: Ranked second for Knockout of the Year against Rich Franklin
- MMAFighting.com
- Named 2012 Knockout of the Year for performance versus Rich Franklin
- Inside MMA
- Earned 2008 Fight of the Year Bazzie Award for bout against Frank Shamrock
Amateur wrestling
- California Community College Athletic Association
- CCCAA State Champion in 1990
- Achieved CCCAA All-State status in 1990
- Served as captain for West Valley College wrestling team during 1990 and 1991 seasons
- California Interscholastic Federation
- Attained CIF All-State recognition in 1989
- Amateur Athletic Union
- Won AAU Espoir Freestyle National Championship in 1989
- Captured AAU Espoir Greco-Roman National Championship in 1989
Mixed martial arts record
|- | Loss | align=center| 9–3 | Michael Bisping | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le | | align=center| 4 | align=center| 0:57 | Macau, SAR, China | |- | Win | align=center| 9–2 | Rich Franklin | KO (punch) | UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:17 | Macau, SAR, China | |- | Win | align=center| 8–2 | Patrick Côté | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 148 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 7–2 | Wanderlei Silva | TKO (knees and punches) | UFC 139 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 4:49 | San Jose, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 7–1 | Scott Smith | KO (body kick) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 1:46 | |-
| Loss | align=center | 6–1 | Scott Smith | KO (punches) | Strikeforce: Evolution | | align=center | 3 | align=center | 3:25 |
|-
| Win | align=center | 6–0 | Frank Shamrock | TKO (broken arm) | Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le | | align=center | 3 | align=center | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center | 5–0 | Sammy Morgan | KO (body kick) | Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives | | align=center | 3 | align=center | 1:58 | |- | Win | align=center | 4–0 | Tony Fryklund | KO (punch) | Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni | | align=center | 3 | align=center | 0:25 | |- | Win | align=center | 3–0 | Jason Von Flue | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Strikeforce: Triple Threat | | align=center | 1 | align=center | 0:43 | |- | Win
align=center 2–0 Brian Warren TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Revenge align=center 1 align=center 4:19 |
|-
Win align=center 1–0
Mike Altman KO (punch) Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie align=center 1 align=center 3:51 |
Kickboxing record
Victory Minaru Taro Draka V Los Angeles, California KO (head kick) 1 N/A 3–0 Victory Gaik Isrelyan Draka V Los Angeles, California Decision (unanimous) 5 N/A 2–0 Victory Jason Yee 1997 Kung Fu Championships Orlando, Florida Decision (unanimous) 5 N/A 1–0| Victory | Brian Ebersole | Strikeforce | San Jose, California | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | N/A | 17–0 | ||
| Victory | Brian Warren | K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas I | Las Vegas, Nevada | Decision (unanimous) | 4 | 2:00 | 16–0 | ||
| Victory | Phil Petit | K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas II | Las Vegas, Nevada | Decision (unanimous) | 4 | 2:00 | 15–0 | ||
| Victory | Scott Sheely | K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada | TKO (strikes) | 2 | 1:13 | 14–0 | ||
| Victory | Shonie Carter | Strikeforce | San Jose, California | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | N/A | 13–0 | ||
| Victory | Jeff Thornhill | Strikeforce | San Jose, California | KO (spinning back fist) | 3 | N/A | 12–0 | ||
| Victory | Laimon M. Keita | K-1 USA Championships 2000 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 3:00 | 11–0 | ||
| Victory | Mike Altman | Strikeforce | San Jose, California | KO (double roundhouse kick) | 3 | 0:30 | 10–0 | ||
| Victory | Na Shun Gerile | Art of War: China vs. USA | Honolulu, Hawaii | TKO (scissor kick) | 3 | N/A | 9–0 | ||
| Victory | Scott Sheely | Strikeforce | San Jose, California | TKO (broken cheek bone) | 2 | 0:59 | 8–0 | ||
| Victory | Dan Garett | Strikeforce | San Jose, California | KO (body kick) | 3 | 0:20 | 7–0 | ||
| Victory | Arne Soldwedel | 1998 Shidokan Cup | Chicago, Illinois | KO (right hook) | 7 | N/A | 6–0 | ||
| Victory | Laimon M. Keita | 1998 Shidokan Cup | Chicago, Illinois | Submission (foot lock) | 2 | N/A | 5–0 | ||
|
Victory Ben Harris 1998 Shidokan Cup Chicago, Illinois KO (spinning hook kick) 2 N/A 4–0 |
|||||||||
Legend:
See also
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1972 births
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male kickboxers
- American male mixed martial artists
- American male taekwondo practitioners
- American male sport wrestlers
- American male television actors
- American male Muay Thai practitioners
- American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
- American sambo practitioners
- American sanshou practitioners
- American sportspeople in doping cases
- American people of Vietnamese descent
- Sportspeople of Vietnamese descent
- Cruiserweight kickboxers
- Doping cases in mixed martial arts
- Kickboxers from California
- Light heavyweight kickboxers
- Living people
- Male actors of Vietnamese descent
- Middleweight mixed martial artists
- Mixed martial artists from California
- Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai
- Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo
- Mixed martial artists utilizing sanshou
- Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo
- Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling
- Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
- People from Ho Chi Minh City
- Sportspeople from Ho Chi Minh City
- Martial artists from San Jose, California
- Strikeforce (mixed martial arts) champions
- Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters
- Vietnamese emigrants to the United States
- Amateur wrestlers
- West Valley College alumni