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Sat, November 21, 2009
Cung Le Knows the Way to San Jose. It's through Frank Shamrock.
by Gene Ching
Do you know the way to San Jose? We certainly do. It's just one city south of the offices of KungFuMagazine.com and Kung Fu Tai Chi.
San Jose and Fremont are separated by one small city, Milpitas, where Cung Le is opening his new training center, the Universal Strength Headquarters & Martial Arts Training Center. It's a busy time for Cung. He just got back from working on TEKKEN, the big budget film based on the popular videogame of the same name, scheduled for release in 2009. And if that isn't enough, he's on his way to the match of his life. Come March 29, 2008, Cung will face Frank "The Legend" Shamrock in an MMA cage match for the Strikeforce World Middleweight Champion belt. Cung is unabashed about the significance of this fight. "Definitely this is my biggest fight ? EVER ? in my whole career, whether it's an amateur fight to a professional fight. This is the biggest. And this is a great opportunity for me to fight someone like Frank Shamrock, the legend, for the world title, the Strikeforce middleweight title."
Far Away from Home
Although Cung Le was dubbed sanshou's "Golden Boy," in truth he's always been a mixed martial artist. Before the term MMA even entered the popular vernacular, Le had already crossed over from wrestling, tae kwon do and Vietnamese kung fu, into the grueling rings of Shidokan and Draka. The roots of Shidokan are in full-contact karate, but with submission wrestling and Thai kickboxing elements added. Draka is a Russian-derived combat sport which rose to some prominence in the late nineties. Le captured victories in both arts. Nevertheless, Le's heart and allegiance lies in sanshou. Having graced the cover of all the major martial arts magazines, Cung Le is unquestionably America's leading sanshou poster boy.
Le's professional fight record is 19-0, although his MMA record (all Strikeforce events) is 5-0. Compare this to Shamrock's 21-8-1 record, much of which is in pancrase. Pancrase is a Japanese-founded sport derived from the original Greco-Olympic sport of pankration, but still categorized as another form of MMA. Shamrock's two-year, five-match retention of the UFC Light Heavyweight Belt, along with wins at K-1 and World Extreme Cagefighting, highlight his spectacular MMA career. What's more, most of Shamrock's victories were by submission. Chinese martial arts lack a ground game. Le has won all of his MMA bouts by KO or TKO. Le has yet to be brought down to the ground.
 Le admits, "I have not had to deal with any ground attack where I'm on my back, but I'm comfortable there. I've been working really hard. I started this training camp three months before the fight and all I've been doing is working my ground game, and at the same time, splitting it with my stand-up game. So I'm prepared for whatever Frank has to offer, whether it's standing, on the ground or in the clinch. Whatever...
"I know Frank's going to try to get me on the ground because if his first game plan don't work, which is stand-up with me, he's going to try to take me down. One thing: I'm very hard to take down. Another thing: I'm very hard to hold down. And third thing: I'm dangerous from the ground too?
"A lot of people say, 'What about Frank's submission?' 'What if he shoots in and goes for the footlock or kneelock?' If I spend my time looking for all those things, I'm not going to have time to think about what I'm going to do. I'm just going to go out there and just open up on my offense. And if Frank does attempt to shoot or jump guard, which he might have to because of the heat I'm going to bring, I'm going to be prepared. My defense is just going to come in automatic pilot and it's going to be ready to defend?
"Whether it's standing or on the ground, cracking someone on the head is both exciting. I can't compare it. All I know is that it's one crazy rush. And I can't wait to crack Frank upside the head with my shins."
With a Dream in Your Heart, You're Never Alone
Physically and geographically, Shamrock and Le are evenly matched. Both are 5' 10" and make weight at 185 lbs. Le is a year older, but both fighters were born in 1972, under the sign of the rat (coincidentally, 2008 is also the year of the rat). And both have called San Jose their home for years. As San Jose neighbors, Le and Shamrock have sparred before, but not in a public match. Le recalls, "We used to train together. I used to be Frank's sparring partner. We strictly did stand-up, so I can't look back at what I did stand-up, because now we're coming into his world, the MMA game. That's what he's good at and that's what I've been training and studying so I can't overlook anything?
 "I've been studying all Frank's previous fights and I definitely see a lot of holes in his game. I'm looking to exploit them that night?. I don't look at Frank's injuries. When you step in that cage, you rise to the occasion. The injuries, they're not a factor anymore, because your mind, your body and your spirit, and your adrenaline takes over. And you basically come in kind of like superhuman when you're focusing. You're 100% in the fight. So I can't look Frank ? 'Oh he had injuries over the years' ? all I know is I got to look at what I can do to inflict pain and, you never know, inflict some injuries?.
"I never think ahead of Frank Shamrock or any of my opponents. One fight at a time. One day at a time. One training session at a time. If I overlook Frank, that could be my first loss. So Frank is in the crosshairs and I'm not going to look past Frank. I got to pull the trigger. My 100% focus is on Frank Shamrock. Frank is everything right now."
Fame and Fortune Is a Magnet
Strikeforce has built its empire primarily upon these two men. The first Strikeforce event was historic. It was California's first legally sanctioned MMA event. It also broke the record for the largest MMA audience in North America. That record has since been broken, but California's MMA debut still retains bragging rights for the most tickets sold. It was also Le's MMA debut (see Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie - Cung Le's MMA Debut in our 2006 July/August issue). Based in San Jose, Strikeforce has dominated the MMA event circuit on the west coast. Even Oakland and San Francisco, both major metropolises with their own football and baseball teams, are in the shadow of San Jose's Strikeforce. It will be the eleventh Strikeforce event.
So who has the most fans in San Jose? Cung responds, "You know what? Frank does have a big crowd. I feel like I have a bigger crowd, but we'll find out that day. I don't know who has a bigger crowd, and right now I really can't focus on who has the bigger crowd, whose crowd is louder. All I know is my crowd, from the Vietnamese community to my students to all the fans and supporters from the Cung Le side, they're going to go crazy. And that's their job, to go crazy. And my job is to look sharp, pick Frank apart, look for the openings, and put on a show." Of course, Le has terrific support from the kung fu and sanshou community too. If Le emerges victorious, it will be a tremendous boost to sanshou and the Chinese martial arts.
Le continues, "I'm expecting a full house. You know I can't guarantee any sellouts, but for ticket selling through my gym, we're already at $100,000 on ticket sales? If there's one person in that arena to 18,000 people on that arena, I'm just going to focus on what I need to do and they can cheer whether it's one or 18,000...
"I don't consider this like, 'Oh, San Jose is my town.' I look at this as I'm a people's champion. And if Frank wants to take San Jose, I'll be the gatekeeper."
Find Some Peace of Mind in San Jose
"This is what I see," confides Le. "I started back in March 2006, which was my first MMA fight. Now we're at the end of March and it's going to be two years later almost ? and I'm fighting for the world title. For me, I got to thank God. I've been blessed. I got to thank Frank Shamrock actually for giving me a chance to fight for his title and step in the cage with him. So I'm just very grateful that with the world title on the line and I get a chance to wake up every day and be in the moment and live the best I can live and enjoy life. God, thank you? I'm on cloud nine, ready to go to cloud ten."
Despite the odds, Le feels confident, just as a title challenger should. To match Shamrock's phenomenal cardio, Le has been training with a mask that simulates the thin air of high altitude from 9,000 to 12,500 feet. He also has been sleeping in a high altitude tent which replicates oxygen levels at 9,000 feet. San Jose's HP Pavilion is just above sea level. Le exclaims, "I feel great. I already came down close to weight. I start out every time I train about 190 and by the time practice is over I'm right on weight ? 185 ? so I'm comfortable where I'm at. I feel great at this weight. I feel strong? No doubts at all. You know I've done everything I could do. I train like a champion. I win like a champion. And if for some reason, if I lose, I'll lose like a champion; but you know, the way my training has been going and how I've been feeling, I feel great. I love my odds. It's like Vegas. I like my odds."
 For sanshou fans, Le's bout against Shamrock is the one we've been waiting for, a true test of sanshou in the MMA cage. Just like Le, the odds are good. Win or lose, the fact that Le has progressed so far and so quickly, all under the sanshou banner, is a reason to be proud. If Le wins, sanshou can claim victory alongside him. If Le loses, sanshou can take comfort in the fact that Le came this far without a defeat. In either case, Le doesn't seem quite ready to retire. And hopefully more sanshou fighters can follow in Le's footsteps in the quest for MMA belts.
"Mixed martial arts is my favorite style now," adds Le. "But you know, I still have a love for sanshou. I going to definitely put a little element of sanshou come March 29th. I'm going to sanshou Frank Shamrock."
To be continued...
About Gene Ching:
For more on Cung Le, see our past cover stories: 1994 Fall
Full-Contact Kung Fu: Sport of the Future? by Marian K. Castinado
1998 November Cung Le: Sanshou's Golden Boy by Martha Burr
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