San Shou champion. Movie star. Strikeforce MW champion. These are just a few of the growing list of accolades Cung Le can lay claim to. The newest, however, is one that diehard fans of the striking machine have been waiting years to see. UFC fighter. Yep, you read it right. Just in case you have been living under a rock, Cung Le has signed a 6 fight deal with the UFC, and has been inked to fight Vitor Belfort at UFC 139 in San Jose. In a recent TapouT Radio interview, Cung gave some insight into his new contract, and thoughts on fighting fellow striker, Belfort.
“I’ve fought on a lot of different platforms, and I’ve done a lot of different styles. I’ve been a traditional martial artist since the beginning. For my career, looking back at it, it’s one of those decisions where I want to look back and say ‘I did everything that I could do’. I’ve always wanted to fight in the UFC, but my loyalty was with Scott Coker and Strikeforce. Since Scott sold the company to the UFC, he actually gave me the blessing to go on over and keep doing what I’m doing and representing the sport in the best way I could. I’m just gonna keep going and do what I can, and hopefully, I’ll make a good impact.”
On the topic of his upcoming bout with Vitor Belfort, Le says he will be looking to bring his opponent a tough fight, and one that the fans will be happy to watch.
“I definitely guarantee that I’m coming to fight. I’ve only had 8 fights in MMA, but I’ve had a lot of different fights in my career. I’ve fought on a lot of big platforms. From fighting to coaching, I’ve done a lot in martial arts. I’m ready to fight my heart out. I know that Vitor has a new training camp, and I’m sure his camp is gonna have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. I gotta go in there, and I can’t expect it just to be standup. I just gotta be prepared for everything. You never know, he might change up his game plan, for the first time ever. We’ll see. I’m gonna be prepared and ready to face The Phenom. I think he’s got fast, heavy hands, and he’s very dangerous, but at the same time, I’m dangerous, too. I can do some damage, myself. Two dangerous guys, we’re gonna find out who’s more dangerous. It’s gonna be thunder and lightning. Who gets who first, it’s gonna be one of those fights. I feel it in my bones“
Cung’s movie career has been nonstop for the last 4 years, but he states that his focus is solely on his upcoming, November 19th bout. When asked if his contract would allow for filming in between fights, he stated,
“At the UFC summit, I talked to Lorenzo and Dana, and they actually said they would work around my schedule. They had the same attitude when I was in the office, a couple weeks ago. They’re excited to bring me on, and i’m excited to be part of the UFC. Here’s the picture. If I’m doing B movies, and I’m not working with Russell Crowe or Lucy Liu, they’ll probably say, ‘Cung, you should just be fighting’, but I’m working with the likes of Joel Silver, Russell Crowe, Eli Roth, and producers like Eric Newman and Mark Abraham. This is the big leagues, and the great thing is, I get to play ball in both parks.”
He continues on,
“It makes me feel like I’ve really been blessed. To go from a war torn, Vietnam refugee camp, to be living the life that I’m living now, I feel honored and I’ve got something to fight for.”
With two new movies releasing soon, and UFC 139 just around the corner, there is no shortage of places to see Cung Le do amazing things. November 19th can’t come fast enough, but one thing is certain, it will definitely be worth the wait.
You can visit Cung’s website, or follow him on Twitter.
You can listen to the audio from this interview at TapouT Radio.
