Cung Le - The Rise of a MMA Legend

[@newby_tradr2883]

Back in 2003 or 2004, I met Cung Le & Frank Shamrock in Columbus OH at a Arnold Swchwarzenegger's Fitness Expo. He & Frank were legends back then. I took some pictures with them and they were both genuinely nice guys and very gracious enough to talk to me for nearly an hour. It was an amazing time for me.

[@lLushKitty]

Wow! That's so cool! I lived in C-bus and although many of mates and acquaintances, within the last 12 years, has and have ridiculed me for living in the American Midwest, I would NOT trade my experiences when I lived there for the totality of 3 years (1.5 years, twice). I first lived in Vic Village (for the first 1.5 years) and Upper Arlington (in the last 1.5 years). The people I've encountered during those years will forever stay with my fond memories. I have lived everywhere in the contiguous U.S. but both the Midwest, Texas, and Virginia have made a lovely impression and positive impact on me.

[@newby_tradr2883]

Thank you for sharing you experience. I'm so glad it was positive. This a great country and I hope that you are happy where you are now. Take care :) @@lLushKitty

[@smokescreenOG]

they are still legends.

[@kyranlee4088]

You’re Lucky

[@bobbarker14]

One of the biggest "what ifs" in MMA history. He was late to the game but I'm glad we got to see what we did. My 6 year old just watched this and said that Cung is his favorite fighter. I'm 100% down with that. Legendary.

[@neotune819]

Cung lee is my favorite fighter his scissor kicks were awesome and unmatched he really was the vietnamese Bruce Lee.

[@allowedme]

Neo Tune Right, Bruce Lee did that scissor legs take down in the movie enter the dragon.

[@Anonymous------]

​@@allowedme Bruce Lee also performed Jujitsu arm bar in movie for the first time in human history!

[@Rabbit-Boy-w1w]

Lý Tiểu Long là ai ?? Việt Nam không có ai tên Lý Tiểu Long . Chỉ có Cung Le . Võ Thuật Trung Quốc được đầu tư vào quảng cáo nhầm mục đích kinh tế truyền thông và phim ảnh . Thực chất võ thuật Trung Quốc là rác rưỡi .

[@qwason13]

A legend that has and is overlooked! One of the greatest MARTIAL ARTISTS EVER.

[@saucenflow]

and elle hollywood rules

[@hooywamd00pe95]

You gotta be joking. 9-3...a legend? Stop insulting real legends by elevating barely decent fighters to their level.

[@brunobaron458]

Did he say MMA fighter? Shut up 😂

[@Salim-wr2wk]

For his age and when he entered he was a legend.

[@forexdissector9565]

Ever???😂😂

[@garyo475]

Cung Le was one of my fav. MMA fighter. Such a exciting dynamic fighter. Too bad he started fighting in MMA at a older age. He was an absolute beast when he was younger

[@raymondarias2034]

I'm going to interview him tonight

[@tonyswe9463]

Same. One of my favorite fighter.

[@WarriorofSunlight]

He’s an absolute beast even now! He has a KZbin channel and it’s impressive how he’s still keeping up with his training!

[@chandlerchhem2128]

Cung Lê had so much talent! He was one of the best fighters I've seen!

[@ThomasRe-lh9pn]

he was amazing. but he got into the ufc way out of his prime.

[@gregmasters8558]

And still did pretty well.​@@ThomasRe-lh9pn

[@majestytd]

Cung Le came into MMA a little late but he still did great... His last fight was 45 years old...

[@Spooky130]

Cung Le is one of my favorite fighters. Legend and bad ass. Thank you for making this video!!

[@asandmyfil-amhubby9666]

I consider Cung Lee one of the best MMA fighter of all time

[@StillbjornOne]

100% agree. Watching strikers vs grapplers is always interesting and Le had both. My favorite fight of all time is Shamrock vs. Le when they chose not to go ground most of the match. Incredible striking most of the fight.

[@bobapower3807]

Cung Le was the man! I can only imagine what he would have done in his prime years with the UFC. Champ for sure

[@JHEETHAL]

he started too late

[@Domzdream]

I think at heart Tyson was a wrestler. After 1 st or 2nd round he used to always clinch. He would do that naturally. Now teach him to wrestle, as well as box, he’d have been the greatest! in MMA.

[@DamiArmyCanada]

He was a great MMA fighter. His age in the last few fights was a big factor. He was so much more powerful and faster when he was in his 20s and 30s.

[@masterk5372]

Of course age gets everyone

[@TheMixedPlateFrequency]

Indeed. By the time he entered UFC, it looks like he was way over mid 40's already.

[@davidwright873]

​@@TheMixedPlateFrequency almost 43

[@outlawedTV88]

@@masterk5372 Nope. I won world champ when I was 98 y old. That was 333 years ago!

[@levezze]

@@outlawedTV88 I was 98 when I was a teenager, that's not even impressive

[@EdgewoodTennis]

I remember Cung from San Jose and his scissors kick takedown. He was the most popular US Asian MMA fighter at the time.

[@pyotrberia9741]

I never liked celebrity fighters but Cung Le proved himself to be a legitimate MMA fighter.

[@anoniem7062]

Steven Seagal would say: "Can I laugh in your face?!" Oh wait, Seagal has never proven to be a great fighter. My bad. lol

[@TheMixedPlateFrequency]

He was technically a legit fighter first, before he became an actor. But I think when he went into the UFC, he was already way over mid 40's already in age. Most UFC fighters even at the top retire from UFC and MMA all together by the time they hit anywhere over 35 to 40. Pretty sure if Cung Le was actively training and was much younger in the UFC, like at least his mid 20's. He would still be a monster.

[@Pan-handle76543]

Bruce Lee was a legend on movies but Cung Le is a Legend on the rings

[@thetuyhoa]

Cung Le is one of the best MMA fighter in history.

[@hereigoagain5050]

Cung also had excellent defense. Amazing how smoothly he could move between offense and defense. That shows years of martial arts training.

[@JohnWhite-fv2fn]

Cung Le has been one of my heroes for a long time.

[@Omg-kungfu]

I trained with two of his first cousins. His family trains in Sa Long cuong.

[@jeffbaca1173]

Met Mr. Le at a Taekwondo event in San Jose, very humble with admiration from all of us.

[@itzzhug0045]

3 days ago what absolute legend uploaded this! Was just searching around about Cung Le and found this video

[@williamoneill5498]

Cung le, is about the best MMA fighter I've seen that really used Taekwondo kicks correctly in MMA, especially leading leg side side kick and hook kicks. Always timed perfectly and coming off excellent punching technique. A true all rounder martial artist with the wrestling and ground skills to back that up. If Cung had not of had an acting career, he could have gone much further if 100% dedicated to MMA.

[@TheEdgeLord]

How about the kicks and strikes from Steven "Wonderboy"....whatever is last name is lol. He is up there with the most elite kickers if not the best

[@williamoneill5498]

@@TheEdgeLord Got to agree Thompson is a great kicker too, but doesn't combine power kicks and punches with the timing and power of Cung. For me Cung is exceptionally exceptional amongst the exceptional. In some ways Cung reminds me of Benny the Jet, but more powerful.

[@AshyLarryTM]

He would have gotten a handful more fights in but that’s about it. He jumped in at 33 where fighters usually contemplate retirement. I for one am a huge Cung Le fan and it’s sad that the MMA community didn’t get to enjoy more of his fighting.

[@Anonymous------]

Not Takwando kicks, but those are Shaolin kicks because Shaolin is the original creator of those kicks and later taught to Cho Sun (now known as Korea).

[@williamoneill5498]

@@Anonymous------ bullshit han man...

[@frank.l181]

He was a master at liver shots. No fighter can withstand more than one! Gezz!

[@MildarValsik]

Glad he could prove that there is more to an actor than just acting. A master of many talents.

[@ThePeacePlant]

Many aren't though. Most

[@khietnguyen9505]

crazy how his kickes broke Frank arm

[@stevenfan1218]

Age was a big factor.he fought people way younger than him.and still didn't look like he got tired.

[@obiwanquixote8423]

Who actually thought of Cung Le as "just an actor?" If anything he was viewed as a kickboxing champion who had nothing to prove who instead of retiring started a second career in MMA. It's incredible how successful he was given his age when he started MMA. If he had made the jump even in his late 20's he would have been absolutely dominant in the UFC.

[@trungkn]

true

[@WarriorofSunlight]

He was in his 40s by the time he fought in the UFC. Insane.

[@vietchungvuonphonglanrung263]

Cung lê người gốc vn. Luôn có bản lĩnh tinh thần thượng võ.thật tuyệt vời

[@tomg5405]

This proves that high kick and martial art works when they are explosive and the fighter has enough sparing experience

[@JamesWoo-o7m]

He would’ve been one of the all time greats if he started earlier

[@SiDung-qg7rn]

Le is still a legend and an all time great 👍

[@SumDumGoi]

It's just insane to me how the man can go off and shoot movies and still maintain his condition good enough for competition and win.

[@kojam1]

I was wondering what happened to him few months ago! He was simply INCREDIBLE!!!

[@nraughmoobyaj8088]

As a being a human being like you and me, it’s not easy to achieve and accomplish what Cung LE has done.

[@jacksonquan6461]

I’m 22 years old, American born, Texas raised, and 100% Vietnamese. I just finished my 3rd day of MMA and I’m excited to discover that there was actually a Vietnamese MMA star. I know I want to compete in MMA but don’t know if I’ll fully comit to trying to make a career out of it or just do it here and there for fun to put on a show and test myself. What I do know is that im going to try my best to meet the bar that was set by Cung Le as a Vietnamese fighter.

[@martinloo9543]

Clung Le was a great champion and fighter. Too bad he didn’t retire sooner, because he took a beating on his last fight. He was older and a action movie star. He had nothing to prove but definitely must have regretted that beating he took from his last fight. He retired from professional fighting after his bloody defeat. I read somewhere Bruce Lee was happy that he didn’t have to fight in tournaments because he became a action movie star. The big money is in making movies without destroying your body fighting in tournaments.

[@trungkn]

Cung Le recounted that match The opponent used his thumb to poke his eyelids, causing him to lose his vision advantage from the very first matches. And the opponent exploits that wound to win. He was so sad when he lost, because he hadn't even used half of his strength

[@BoBo-di8rg]

Just now I know him. ..He is real a true great fighter.

[@moisesnifras672]

An all around fighter whether in striking or grappling truly an epic mma grand master🤩

[@brandonhunter3036]

Fantastic piece on Cung Le! He was THE kung fu and San Da icon of the late 90’s 🎉

[@vugu]

Don't forget that EVERYONE was afraid of being kicked by him.

[@waxedearth5425]

I always liked watching Cung Le fight. He was flashy and fun to watch, that’s why I watch mma

[@jdmmike7225]

Cung was one of the few fighters who could successfully throw lead leg spinning attacks. These are very sneaky techniques that are rarely seen.

[@smokescreenOG]

they are seen in traditional marts. His Wushu Sanda carry over.

[@NameNotAlreadyTaken2]

This guy threw some of the fastest spinning kicks I've ever seen

[@14daroad]

Big respect to Cung Le

[@allenchu3969]

After watching this video it reminded me of how good Le really was. It was always fun to watch him fight.

[@cuongnguyenhuu8776]

Mình cảm thấy tự hào khi anh là người Việt Nam ❤️❤️❤️

[@bethanyhaskiell9116]

Cung Le was the the "OG Karate Master" before Lyoto Machida came into mma

[@HvdBrink]

What a great Warrior .... here a fan from Holland ...Greetings to your kids and Beautyfull wife ...

[@tmthanhable]

I love Cung Le ! He is a hero !

[@jamesmacdougall5907]

Great content and impressive and clear voice over which for me is 10/10 . Keep the content coming

[@octopusdragon1]

A true MMA legend

[@AndrewLXiong]

Great video...yes he definitely was a great fighter against many of the greats in MMA history. I believe if he had started earlier when he as a bit younger, he may have gone ever farther in the sports

[@Nomadunlimited]

To break shamrocks arm with a kick even cungle is already tired on the last round shows you how strong and superior his kicks are over other high kicking fighters.

[@SuperhumanUnchained]

Cung le was a great Martial artist in the ring

[@dalejohns2758]

Nope

[@bushwacka5187]

@@dalejohns2758 Yep

[@SuperhumanUnchained]

@@dalejohns2758 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@dalejohns2758]

@@bushwacka5187 Bruce Leroy basically. Hahahaha

[@EnforcementDronEd209]

​@@dalejohns2758🎪🤡🎈 +r0ll

[@kholynguyen1042]

xem anh ấy thi đấu Thật Tuyệt vời đầy cảm xúc > các đòn chân 🦵 rất đẹp chính sác > hiệu quả 👏👍🤝💪💗 Cung Lê thật Tuyệt vời 💞

[@congsan3528]

He's not a VC like you.

[@maurogomez1585]

Cung Lee is one of the best.

[@stephenireland3816]

Shame he started his professional career so late. Some fighters are over the hill at 33 and retired.

[@1traphouse]

He made alot of us Vietnamese people proud when coming into the MMA world. But man when he got busted for using steroids (&man u could visually see that he was on em) & got dropped from the octagon, the same people he made proud became very disappointed in his choices. This doesn’t make him a bad person & neither did we gave up on him. It was just one of those things that sucked for us because you don’t see alot of Asians let alone a Vietnamese in any major league sports & he was a huge inspiration. Still, i hope he’s doing well and i wish nothing but good health & prosperity for him and his family. Im from Atlanta and the Falcons got us a dope ass Korean kicker by the name of Younghoe Koo & he’s dope!

[@ThomasRe-lh9pn]

Yea, everyone was doping in the ufc at that time. and Cung was already 40. Wanderlei silva,bisping,vitor, were all doping.

[@vanthole9558]

Võ sĩ Cung Le bất bại ở Kicbxing môn võ tổng hợp toàn diện thứ hai trong rất nhiều trận đấu là huyền thoại rồi. Chỉ tiếc là anh gia nhập MMA muộn quá song vẫn có vài chiến thắng với các cao thủ hàng đầu MMA đã cho thấy anh chiến đấu hiệu quả rất thượng thừa song cũng chúc mừng anh vì những vinh quang và biết ơn anh vì sự tự trọng nổ lực của anh vì người Việt và người yêu võ đẹp thiện chiến trên toàn cầu.

[@tienatluu7672]

Tự hào vn

[@TheWorldofBoxing]

Thanks for watching! However, we need your support. We've had a drop in views lately. Write any comment and give a thumbs up, it will help a lot in promoting this video🥊

[@mm-hq4qh]

Bruce Lee was an actor not a fighter. He would be loosing all the time in mma

[@GoldenWaifuUwU]

@@mm-hq4qh but a good fighter :)

[@echoandi]

@@mm-hq4qh please! no bad talk of the late great... Bruce Lee

[@showmeboxing]

You have great videos! Thank you!

[@larrymiller3849]

This reinforces my opinion that smarter old school martial artists such as Chuck Norris, could also have successfully competed in MMA . If he had been in his prime when MMA first stated . And had adapted ; learning BJJ and other grappling , etc. Same I believe obviously for Bruce Lee.

[@louyht7]

Cung Le known for flashy cool ass kicks. He also have power in his hands, I wish he use his hands more especially against Wanderlei and Bisping.

[@td8627]

Cung Le was born in Saigon, South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam), not Ho Chi Minh City. There was no Ho Chi Minh City in 1972 Vietnam.

[@hoangsondao7021]

@@tuanhiepnguyen9032 he not wrong, shut up and learn kid

[@tictactoe101]

@@tuanhiepnguyen9032 dặn trước để khỏi thấy sang bắt quàng làm họ thôi mà 😌. Nhấp vào cái link có tên tiếng việt mà cứ tưởng bở 😏

[@anhbocphet4875]

​@@tictactoe101 *_chẳng ai thèm bắt quàng làm họ, thời đỉnh cao của Cung Lê có bao nhiêu người Việt trong nước biết cho đến khi youtube vs Facebook xuất hiện với lại trong kí ức người nước ngoài Sài gòn là chốn ăn chơi của lính Mỹ và là nơi tổ chức hội đu càng lớn nhất lịch sử nhân loại😂_*

[@lord-of-the-shinobi-world]

There will never be a Ho Chi Minh city. Le Cung is the desendant of the Vietnam Republic. He is clearly is not related to the Communist

[@usefulcrackhead2485]

Ho ho ho chi Minh

[@BodhiNDaddy]

He blew my mind!🔥🔥🔥

[@Kinosis79]

He was past his prime by the time he started MMA, but still had a great career and beat some legends.

[@metsrus]

he got into mma a little late, would've been a beast if he started earlier.

[@wholenation5071]

No Doubt He Was Awesome! In His Losses He Took Some Ugly Beatings Witch In My Opinion Shows Cung Le's Toughness(not to mention the age he was fighting at) i did not watch Texas Ranger but i beliee O'l Chuck Would Have Had His Hands Full If He Tested Cung Le.

[@williamwidjaja850]

thanks for video

[@KayDub-t6v]

Father time got Cung le. He was awesome. Shame he didnt start sooner.

[@bobby3849]

Thank you 🙏❤️🌹

[@AVNinjaLLC]

Cung was a badass. You win some you lose some. As long as you learn you have never lost.

[@R0cketRed]

What the actual freak, you hear all the time back in the late 80s and 90s about how these actors are actually great fighters but never actually fought and this guy is actually doing BOTH and I've never herd of him. I feel very disappointed in the media for not putting him on blast

[@motog708]

Nice video . Thank you

[@TheWorldofBoxing]

Thanks for your support

[@georgeparkin4420]

I’ve watched a few of your videos and they’re succinct and informative. Good job. Liked and subscribed!!

[@stuarthynes6136]

Being a martial arts film star can go both ways... Some just play to camera angles to look good, others are told to slow down and do this move as it looks better on camera. When they get in the arena, it's good to see those with great training and ability shine. Warriors..If otherwise, It's hilarious when they believe their own hype and get owned... cung le is a warrior.

[@vincentglass5990]

Cong Le was one of the big time better fighters in his day. I would say when get old you get old.

[@dng6121]

yup

[@Nash.NaMash]

Kool kicks ever seen. Great video editing and narrating too as I have no understanding of this sport. Thanks a bunch.

[@HoaVu-cm9nk]

thanks for the video

[@jannisya3143]

A technician is allways in the Front....Cung Lee was awesome

[@vothuong3565]

Not only is Cung Le a good martial artist, but he is also a very nice and humble person.

[@nsmboxingen]

great video bro 🚀🚀🚀

[@TheWorldofBoxing]

💪💪💪

[@nightcoder5k]

Thank you for the video.

[@kazimierzczartoryski]

Perfect ending. I love it when pride learns a lesson.

[@sparky7915]

Cung Le is a great fighter. He was smart to retire before he really got hurt bad.

[@musk-eteer9898]

Cung Le is a true martial artist

[@bigyellowplumes]

Very thorough. Thank you for your work.

[@jlionmenelik77]

I like cung lee he was martial actor that prove he had skills.

[@MotoJB]

I am proud to say I'm in the gym photo at minute 1:55. Cung was an amazing athlete, wrestler, Sanshou kickboxer with a style and abilities all his own...he was a stand out for sure. He was also a good coach...and a good all around guy to boot. I'm good friends with one of his gym instructors and Arnis coaches still to this day. I lost a lot of sweat and gained a lot of good memories and confidence from Cung's gym! Thanks Cung! Ush!

[@echohawk9579]

Gotta love Cung Le

[@joshschaeffer3300]

He debuted at 33. Men retire from mma at 33 they don't debut. I know he had competed before but not in a cage MMA rules.

[@loginsoul]

I cannot image how strong is his kicks, just can feel that from his competitor's behavior...

[@ryanlopez7226]

Big Cung Le fan here! But damn, his Instagram is wild!

[@namchau2631]

Bravo Cung Le ..

[@plor1261]

Still no fighter like him. Amazing

[@Cleatus546]

Great video. Thanks 👍

[@AshyLarryTM]

An all time great for sure. Sadly, he won’t be recognized as that due to his short career. I think it’s a bunch of BS. He belongs in the UFC Hall of Fame.

[@rongsmith4631]

Fax 💯

[@Pinger932]

I could only imagine what would have been if he started his MMA career at a early age!

[@phannguyennguyen619]

That would be a nightmare for boxers

[@LongLe-um9pl]

Dù Thời Gian Thi Đấu Của CUNG LÊ Như Thế Nào - CUNG LÊ Đả Làm Rạng Rở Cho Người VIỆT- Thật Đáng Tự Hào Người VIỆT NAM Ở Hải Ngoại

[@syangvan9705]

Lối đánh của a ý đẹp quá.người xem cũng mãn nhãn

[@diylifter2934]

Cung Le used to shop at the grocery store I worked at in 2005 in the Bay Area. Really nice guy. Also a lot bigger than you would think; he was in excellent shape and I had no idea he was as old as he was. By now he would be in his early 50s.

[@bigdeal6852]

One of the best ever !

[@boilerdepasoensenada7409]

Mientras participo fue un excelente peleador , de haber ingresado a este deporte más joven hubiera logrado ser aún mas grande su legado ,

[@thenjiukhian4200]

Cung Le..❤👍

[@AnunakiAtlantis]

No one become superman forever. Remember that!

[@valdezj408t8]

Met him at a store in San Jose bestia de hombre 🫡