The Triangle Choke: Cung Le Interview

Cung Le is the epitome of the American Dream. Cung, a Vietnamese immigrant now has his own action figure and stars in movies. Through it all, Cung has maintained his humbleness and is always thankful for the opportunities he has been given. Scott Dryden, Editor-in-Chief of ProFighting-fans.com for all MMA news & content, spoke with Le recently and here is his conversation with Cung:

SD- Cung, talk about how you got to the US from Vietnam (born in Vietnam).

CL- I left Vietnam in 1975 three days before the fall of Saigon. I went to a refugee camp for three weeks in the Philippines with my mom and her side of the family. We got a sponsor in Monterey, CA where we lived six months with a nice family. My grandfather was a translator for the CIA and got us a house really quickly in San Jose, CA and that is where I moved to. That is where I’m at today, still in the Bay area.

Photo courtesy of Cung Le.

SD- Speak about how you got into athletics, specifically kickboxing as a youth.

CL- It was tough growing up as an immigrant. I was picked on a lot so my mom and dad put me into martial arts. I started studying martial arts at the age of 10. It was off and on. My parents were working two jobs so I didn’t get to practice a lot. I found wrestling when I was in the 7th grade. I wrestled throughout high school and junior college. I became a high school All-American and junior college All-American and after that I found my way back into martial arts and the rest is history.

SD- Before you started in MMA, what was your specialty in the arts and who did you train with?

CL- I trained Vietnamese Kung Fu then I started doing San Shou which is a Chinese style of Kickboxing. I trained with the Chinese Military Team and a lot of people then. Now my trainers is Javier Mendez for mixed-martial arts at the American Kickboxing Academy.

SD- You competed everywhere in kickboxing including appearances on ESPN. Speak about the titles you have won.

CL- I’ve been with Scott Coker (CEO of Strikeforce) for a long time now, since 1998. I won the IFK North Atlantic title, US Title and World Title. I fought China’s best in the event USA vs. China in 1999. I represented the United States three times at the World Champions as an Amateur winning and brought home the Bronze medal each time. I turned in the gloves in 2005 and got talked into competing in MMA by Javier Mendez. Two years later I got the Strikeforce Middleweight Title. I recently vacated the title because I’ve been doing movies. I didn’t think it was fair for the top Strikeforce contenders to wait on me while I was out doing movies so this will give them an opportunity to compete for the belt.

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SD- Your new movie Pandorum opens on September 25th. Talk about that experience of getting the role.

CL- Pandorum is my 3rd studio film. They just didn’t give me the part because I was a World Champion at the time; I auditioned for the part. My entertainment manager found out there was a lead Asian part in the movie. I read the script and liked it and was given a chance to audition. I earned the part against the top Asian actors out there such as Robin Shou from Mortal Kombat. I was able to win the part. Originally they were looking for a Japanese actor but could not find the right fit. So they opened it up to Asian actors and I was able to get my chance. I read it in my native tongue, Vietnamese, and was able to turn the character into a Vietnamese character. The rest is history.

SD- What can your fans expect from Pandorum?

CL- It is an Action-Horror-Sci Fi movie. I think they will get their money’s worth. They can come out and get a little bit of everything in this movie.

SD- You also have your own Round 5 MMA figure. Talk about that experience.

CL- It’s surreal. I’ve been in martial arts for years but mixed-martial arts is now the top of the food chain. To be able to have my own action figure is awesome. I wouldn’t be able to have this in any other arena except mixed-martial arts. Martial arts got me to a certain level but mixed-martial arts got me over that hump to be main stream. I’m grateful for that.

SD- It has been a year and half since you competed in MMA. I interviewed Jake Shields in which he called you out and wanted a shot at you. What are your thoughts on being called out why you were away doing movies?

CL- It just means that I’m on top. I’m honored to be called out by top-notch fighters like Jake. If they didn’t want to fight me that means I’m not doing my job and I’m not where I am at right now. It means they want to fight the best and I’m the best in Strikeforce right now that is why I’m getting called out.

SD- When do you plan on competing again in Strikeforce?

CL- I plan to return next year. I plan on fulfilling all my obligations this year with the movies and come back with a few more fights when I return.

SD- When you started in MMA your style was criticized and many thought it wouldn’t work in the cage. To me, your style is similar to Lyoto Machida, who like you is undefeated with few people being able to hit him or take him down. What are your thoughts?

CL- I have to credit the traditional martial arts and the same time wrestling. I also want to give credit to the team I have around me. I have a great work ethic. I train hard and push myself. I have a great support staff around me and I’m grateful for where I’m at today.

SD- When we see you in 2010, are we going to see the same Cung Le and do you plan on fighting for the title?

CL- I’m sure after two years off I won’t be able to jump right back in there. I will come back, see where I’m at and how I feel and take the next step after that. I’m sure with that much time off I will be a little rusty. When I come back I want to make sure I can make it through 3 rounds before I jump into a 5 round event.

SD- Thanks Cung, Good Luck and we look forward to seeing you in Pandorum and in the cage in 2010.

CL- Thank you so much for the interview.

• For information on Cung Le’s action figure visit: http://www.round5mma.com/
• For information on Cung Le’s new movie Pandorum visit: http://www.pandorummovie.com/

By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer & Editor-in-Chief

Photo courtesy of Josh Thomson