Background

Le was born in Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). In 1975, couple of days before the Fall of Saigon, Cung Le and his mother Anne left Vietnam by helicopter under heavy gunfire. Le's father stayed in Vietnam and was caught as a prisoner. After a few months in a refugee camp in the Philippines, Le ended up in San Jose, California, where early discrimination and bullying inspired him to learn martial arts. His mother enrolled him in Tae Kwon Do classes at the age of 10. Le began wrestling competitively at age 14 after being inspired by Sylvester Stallone´s Rocky and earned All-American honors in his junior year of high school. He went on to wrestle for West Valley College in Saratoga, California, and won the California Junior College State Championship in the 158 lb weight class in 1990 also earning junior college All-American honors. Le also is practiced in a variety of martial arts such as Judo, Kuntao and Sambo. He began training in Sanshou and kickboxing around age of 19 because it complimented his Tae Kwon Do and wrestling background. Le held a professional kickboxing record of 17-0 and is a three-time world champion in kickboxing.

Sanshou career

Le is undefeated in his Sanshou career (17-0). He has won three US Open International Martial Arts Championships (1994, 1995, 1996). In 1998 he won the Shidokan tournament championship. He has also won four US National Championships (Orlando, FL, 1994, Dallas, TX, 1995, Baltimore, MD, 1997). He earned three bronze medals in his amateur Sanshou world competition compiling an overall amateur record of 18-3. 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 International Kickboxing Federation Pro Light Heavyweight Sanda World Title. In May 2003, Le entered into K-1 competitions where he garnered a 3-0 career record, including one knockout.

Mixed martial arts career

Strikeforce

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. Le first met Altman in San Jose, in 1999, in a kickboxing bout where he defeated Altman via a body shot in the third round. Three months later he faced KOTC veteran Brian Warren, knocking him out at 4:19 of the first round. Le had also faced Warren in a K-1 Sanshou bout where he won by decision. At Strikeforce: Triple Threat on December 8, 2006, Le defeated UFC veteran Jason Von Flue in 0:43 of round one, when the fight had to be stopped due to a cut from a kick strike. Le went on to fight Tony Fryklund. Le beat Fryklund via TKO due to strikes late in the third round. Soon after Le fought Sammy Morgan at Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives where he won the bout via TKO.

On March 29, 2008, Le defeated 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 Shamrock's right arm ( ulna) was broken after a series of kicks, making him the new Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. On September 17, 2009, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced that Le had relinquished his belt after securing a major motion picture deal.

Twenty-one months after his last fight, Le returned to Strikeforce to face Scott Smith at Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19, 2009. Le suffered his first MMA defeat there, losing via TKO at 3:25 of the third round. After the match, Le expressed interest in an immediate rematch with Smith. His wish was granted on June 26, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, in which Le defeated Smith via TKO in the second round to avenge his only MMA loss at the time.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Le has said that it is basically the UFC or bust for him at this point in his fighting career. “I know for a fact that if I do fight again, it’s going to be in the UFC. I’ve never fought in the UFC, but I would love to fight in the UFC. But right now because of my contract with Showtime and Stikeforce, hopefully things can work out because there is a show in San Jose that Cain Velasquez is the main event. I would love to fight in San Jose for the UFC ....” In an interview with BloodyElbow on October 27, 2012, Le revealed he originally signed a six-fight contract with the UFC.

Le was briefly linked to a matchup with Vitor Belfort on November 19, 2011, at UFC 139. However, Belfort was removed from the bout and replaced by former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva. Le managed to confuse Silva with his unorthodox kicks, and landed a spinning backfist that dropped Silva. During the second round, Silva managed to shake Le with huge punches and knees that completely broke Le's nose. Le was stunned, bloodied and fell to the ground, and the fight was stopped by the referee. Afterwards, in the press conference, Dana White commented that it was a good stoppage and that Cung was taken to the hospital.

Le was scheduled to face former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148. However, due to an injury to headliner Vitor Belfort, Franklin instead faced Wanderlei Silva in a 190 lb catchweight rematch on June 23, 2012 at UFC 147. Le instead faced former title contender Patrick Côté. He earned his first UFC win via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Le faced Rich Franklin in the main event on November 10, 2012, at UFC: Macao. Cung Le won the fight via KO with a powerful hook punch to Franklin's head at 2:17 of the first round.

The Ultimate Fighter: China

In November 2013, it was announced that Le would serve as the chief coach and mentor on The Ultimate Fighter: China, the China-based version of The Ultimate Fighter which began airing in December 2013.

After over a year-and-a-half of being away from competition, Le faced Michael Bisping on August 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 48. After an even start, Le was cut around both eyes in the second round, as Bisping began to land the more powerful strikes. Bisping eventually won the one sided fight via TKO in the fourth round. Following the fight, Le tested positive for elevated levels of HGH and was subsequently suspended from competition for nine months. However, after reevaluating the evidence against Le, the UFC increased his suspension to 12 months. There has been some dispute of the test, as the testing laboratory in question was not WADA-approved, did not do the appropriate HGH test, and destroyed the blood sample before confirmatory tests could be done. Ultimately, on October 21, the UFC reversed their decision and rescinded Le's suspension in light of the aforementioned flaws. On December 3, 2014, Le told the media that he instructed his manager to request Le's release from UFC due to the drug-test dispute.

On December 16, 2014, Le was listed as one of three MMA fighters who filed a class-action lawsuit against Zuffa, LLC., the parent company of the UFC. The suit alleges that the UFC participated in anti-competitive practices that hindered fighters and their mixed martial arts careers. Le was the only currently active UFC fighter to be involved in the lawsuit.

Retirement from MMA

On January 20, 2015, his manager, Gary Ibarra, announced to the media that Le had retired from MMA. Le's decision came after reconsidering his career with his family. He had previously expressed his lack of desire to fight in the UFC and contemplated retirement following the performance-enhancing drug disputes he had with the promotion in 2014. Le believed that the UFC owed him an apology for accusing him of using drugs when the test results later turned out to be faulty. Le, however, said that his retirement was only in MMA. He talked about the possibility of returning to professional kickboxing competitions, where he was active prior to his MMA debut.

Acting career

Le co-starred in the live-action Tekken film, based upon the popular martial arts fighting game, as Marshall Law, released November 5, 2009 for the American film market. Le had supporting roles in the science fiction film Pandorum with Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, and Fighting, released in 2009 alongside Channing Tatum. He also starred in a Hong Kong martial arts film Bodyguards and Assassins, which was released on December 18, 2009; his film was the first time he worked with and had a fight scene with Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen.

He also appeared in a Vietnamese music show Paris By Night 99 - Tôi Là Người Việt Nam where he was interviewed by Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen; this show also marked one of the few times Le has spoken Vietnamese on camera.

Le had a lead role in the 2012 action film Dragon Eyes, costarring Jean-Claude Van Damme and produced by Joel Silver. The movie is based on the Akira Kurosawa classic Yojimbo and is "MMA-themed". Also in 2012, Le played Bronze Lion in The Man with the Iron Fists, a film directed by RZA.

In 2014, he starred in Puncture Wounds, an action film directed by Giorgio Serafini, co-directed and written by James Coyne.

Personal life

Le has two sons with his ex-wife. He and his second wife were married in August 2009. The couple had their first child together in 2010.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

• California Community College Athletic Association
  • CCCAA State Championship (1990)
  • CCCAA All-State (1990)
  • West Valley College wrestling team captain (1990, 1991)
• California Interscholastic Federation
  • CIF All-State (1989)
• Amateur Athletic Union
  • AAU Espoir Freestyle National Championship (1989)
  • AAU Espoir Greco-Roman National Championship (1989)

Kickboxing

• International Kickboxing Federation
  • IKF Sanshou World Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)
• International Sport Karate Association
  • ISKA Sanshou North American Light Heavyweight Sanshou Championship (one time)
  • ISKA Sanshou U.S. Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)
  • ISKA Sanshou U.S. Light Cruiserweight Championship (one time)
• Ho Tet Tae Kwon Do
  • Ho Tet Tae Kwon Do Tournament 1994 Grand Champion
• USA International World Championships
  • 1996 Continuous Sparring Tae Kwon Do World Champion
• World Wide Draka Federation
  • 1998 Draka Tournament winner
• Shidokan Cup Bare-Knuckle Full Contact Karate
  • 1998 Shidokan Cup U.S. Tournament winner
• International Wushu Federation
  • 1999 WUF World Wushu Championships Sanshou bronze medalist
  • 1997 WUF World Wushu Championships Sanshou bronze medalist
  • 1995 WUF World Wushu Championships Sanshou bronze medalist
• Black Belt Magazine
  • 2007 Kung Fu Artist of the Year

Mixed martial arts

• Strikeforce
  • Strikeforce Middleweight Championship (one time)
  • Tied most finishes in Strikeforce (7)
  • Most knockouts in Strikeforce (7)
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (one time)
  • Knockout of the Night (one time)
• MMAFighting.com
  • 2012 Knockout of the Year
• Inside MMA
  • 2008 Fight of the Year Bazzie Award

Submission grappling

• Amateur Athletic Union
  • AAU Espoir Sambo National Championship (1989)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
12 matches	9 wins	3 losses
By knockout	8	3
By decision	1	0

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	9-3	Michael Bisping	TKO (knee and punches)	UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le	000000002014-08-23-0000August 23, 2014	4	0:57	Macau, SAR, China
Win	9-2	Rich Franklin	KO (punch)	UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le	000000002012-11-10-0000November 10, 2012	1	2:17	Macau, SAR, China
Win	8-2	Patrick Côté	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 148	000000002012-07-07-0000July 7, 2012	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	7-2	Wanderlei Silva	TKO (knees and punches)	UFC 139	000000002011-11-19-0000November 19, 2011	2	4:49	San Jose, California, United States
Win	7-1	Scott Smith	TKO (spinning back kick and punches)	Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum	000000002010-06-26-0000June 26, 2010	2	1:46	San Jose, California, United States
Loss	6-1	Scott Smith	KO (punches)	Strikeforce: Evolution	000000002009-12-19-0000December 19, 2009	3	3:25	San Jose, California, United States
Win	6-0	Frank Shamrock	TKO (broken arm)	Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le	000000002008-03-29-0000March 29, 2008	3	5:00	San Jose, California, United States
Win	5-0	Sammy Morgan	TKO (body kick)	Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives	000000002007-11-16-0000November 16, 2007	3	1:58	San Jose, California, United States
Win	4-0	Tony Fryklund	TKO (body kick and punches)	Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni	000000002007-06-22-0000June 22, 2007	3	0:25	San Jose, California, United States
Win	3-0	Jason Von Flue	TKO (doctor stoppage)	Strikeforce: Triple Threat	000000002006-12-08-0000December 8, 2006	1	0:43	San Jose, California, United States
Win	2-0	Brian Warren	KO (punches)	Strikeforce: Revenge	000000002006-06-09-0000June 9, 2006	1	4:19	San Jose, California, United States
Win	1-0	Mike Altman	KO (punch)	Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie	000000002006-03-10-0000March 10, 2006	1	3:51	San Jose, California, United States

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record

17 wins (12 KOs), 0 losses Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes Win 17-0 Brian Ebersole Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce 000000002005-06-04-0000June 4, 2005 5 San Jose, California Win 16-0 Brian Warren Decision (unanimous) K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas I 000000002004-04-30-0000April 30, 2004 4 2:00 Las Vegas, Nevada Win 15-0 Phil Petit Decision (unanimous) K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas II 000000002003-08-15-0000August 15, 2003 4 2:00 Las Vegas, Nevada Win 14-0 Scott Sheely TKO K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas 000000002003-05-02-0000May 2, 2003 2 1:13 Las Vegas, Nevada Win 13-0 Shonie Carter Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce 000000002001-12-15-0000December 15, 2001 5 San Jose, California Win 12-0 Jeff Thornhill KO (spinning back fist) Strikeforce 000000002000-09-15-0000September 15, 2000 3 San Jose, California Win 11-0 Laimon M. Keita Decision (unanimous) K-1 USA Championships 2000 000000002000-08-05-0000August 5, 2000 5 3:00 Las Vegas, Nevada Win 10-0 Mike Altman KO (double roundhouse kick) Strikeforce 000000002000-05-13-0000May 13, 2000 3 0:30 San Jose, California Win 9-0 Na Shun Gerile TKO (scissor kick) Art of War: China vs. USA 000000001999-01-01-00001999 3 Honolulu, Hawaii Win 8-0 Scott Sheely TKO (broken cheek bone) Strikeforce 000000001999-05-15-0000May 15, 1999 2 0:59 San Jose, California Win 7-0 Dan Garett KO (body kick) Strikeforce 000000001998-10-10-0000October 10, 1998 3 0:20 San Jose, California Win 6-0 Arne Soldwedel KO (right hook) 1998 Shidokan Cup 000000001998-08-29-0000August 29, 1998 7 Chicago, Illinois Win 5-0 Laimon M. Keita Submission (foot lock) 1998 Shidokan Cup 000000001998-08-29-0000August 29, 1998 2 Chicago, Illinois Win 4-0 Ben Harris KO (spinning hook kick) 1998 Shidokan Cup 000000001998-08-29-0000August 29, 1998 2 Chicago, Illinois Win 3-0 Minaru Taro KO (head kick) Draka V 000000001998-05-24-0000May 24, 1998 1 Los Angeles, California Win 2-0 Gaik Isrelyan Decision (unanimous) Draka V 000000001998-05-24-0000May 24, 1998 5 Los Angeles, California Win 1-0 Jason Yee Decision (unanimous) 1997 Kung Fu Championships 000000001997-08-31-0000August 31, 1997 5 Orlando, Florida Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes

Film and television credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Sleight of Hand	Victor	Indie film
2001	Walker, Texas Ranger	Himself	TV series episode: "Legends"
2004	Kwoon	Mort Ission	Direct-to-video
2006	Dark Assassin	The Assassin	Indie film
2007	Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter	Erik	Film
2009	Fighting	Dragon Le	Major film
	Pandorum	Manh	Major film
	Bodyguards and Assassins	Sa Zhen-Shan	Film
	Tekken	Marshall Law	Major film
2010	True Legend	Militia Leader	Film
	NCIS: Los Angeles	Himself	TV series episode: "Hand-to-Hand"
2012	Dragon Eyes	Ryan Hong	Major film
	The Man with the Iron Fists	Bronze Lion	Major film
2013	The Grandmasters	Tiexieqi	Major film
2014	The Ultimate Fighter: China	Mentor	Reality TV series
	Puncture Wounds	John Nguyen	Film
2015	Into the Badlands		TV series
2017	Security		Film

[ Source: Wikipedia ]