UFC 139 got a little shake-up yesterday, when Vitor Belfort had to pull out of his November matchup with UFC newcomer, Cung Le. For those of you that were looking forward to this clash of striking titans, you need not fear, as Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva has stepped in as a replacement for the Phenom. Once again, UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva, has outdone himself with yet another fight that is sure to provide fireworks. In a recent TapouT Radio interview, Cung discussed his new opponent, changes he’ll make in his game plan, fan perception, and the pressures of fighting in front of the hometown crowd.
“Joe Silva gave me a call this morning, and he said he had good news and bad news. When he told me about Vitor, I was kind of bummed, but as soon as he said ‘Wanderlei will take his place’, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s another legend that they’re putting me in there with’ and I got excited again. It was kind of like a roller coaster, but I definitely believe it’s an even trade-off.”
He continued,
“I think both opponents are very exciting matchups for me. Wanderlei is definitely more aggressive. He comes forward a lot, so I’ll have to change up my game plan a little bit. I’m gonna have a lot more sparring partners now, because there’s not too many guys that fight southpaw. I think it’s going to be a little more explosive, because he keeps coming. He’s got to get close enough to clinch with me, in order to use the knees. I have really good wrestling and I can neutralize some of the knees with takedown attempts. I’m just gonna have to take my angles and fight smart.”
With the 14th season of TUF having officially kicked off, Le expressed interest in possibly coaching a future season.
“I would definitely be interested in coaching on the show. I love to coach. I was head coach for the U.S. Sanshou team in 2005, and we ended up with 2 silver and 4 bronze medals. I believe that was the highest medal count for a team, and keep in mind that the competition includes 72 countries. I’m very proud of that.”
Cung was very candid about the pressure of fighting in his hometown and about fan perception of him.
“Facing Wanderlei, or any opponent in my back yard has it’s perks, and it’s disadvantages. There’s more pressure. There’s also a lot of ’old friends’ saying, ‘Hey, can you get me tickets?’, and you almost have to turn your phone off to it. Then people think, ‘His head’s getting too big, because he won’t even reply’, but I’m not going to, when all they want is free tickets. It’s like a Catch 22. I’m excited, though, and I’ll have the home crowd advantage. Now that Dan Henderson and Shogun are headlining, it actually takes a little bit of pressure off me. I’m sure a lot of people were saying ‘Why was Cung Le deserving to be the main event?’, and some of the talk out there does bother me a little bit, and I do feed off of it. That’s why I read it. I use it to my advantage. Pretty much throughout my whole life and career, people have told me that I wouldn’t succeed, even some members in my family. It’s definitely very rewarding to succeed, and be where I’m at today. I’m co-main event on the biggest platform of all. I’m doing movies, I have a great family. I’m living the American dream.”
If you’re like the rest of the MMA population at large, you’re beyond excited for the strike fest that is sure to happen when Le and Silva meet in the octagon on November 19th in San Jose. Get your finances in order, because this is one PPV nobody should miss.
You can visit Cung’s website, or follow him via his Twitter account.
You can listen to the audio from this interview at TapouT Radio.
Great article, Wandy’s best days may be behind him, but he is still a serious threat to anyone. I look forward to seeing this fight, the first round should be amazing.