Pandorum: MMA star Cung Le is ready for his close-up
By Emma May, Special to The SunSeptember 22, 2009
Smoke and ash filled the air as machine gun fire erupted while a helicopter carried a young mother and her three-year-old son out of war-torn Saigon... It was a dramatic start to what has proven to be an action-packed life for Vietnamese-American immigrant Cung Le, who eventually from childhood bully-beater into cage-fighting bone crusher.
Cung Le would go on to win a world title with the Strikeforce mixed martial arts promotion, earn a load of money, and get his very own action figure, but that wouldn't be enough for the driven fighter.
The decorated combat athlete’s new battleground is the soundstage as he steps away from MMA competition to bring his fighting skills and rugged good looks to the big-budget action film Pandorum.
The Sci-Fi thriller, about a group of astronauts who awaken on a spacecraft with no memory and encounter mysterious creatures, co-stars Dennis Quaid and up-and-comer Ben Foster.
“I gotta say, I learn a lot from Ben," says Le over the phone from his home in San Jose. “Most of my time on set was shared with Ben because we’re like buddy/buddy characters that roam around on the ship and kick ass.”
Le’s most famous kick came in March of 2008 when his shin shattered mixed martial arts legend Frank Shamrock’s arm, stopping their fight and earning Le the Strikeforce middleweight belt. His six knockout wins encapsulate the Californian's MMA career and captured the attention of sports fans and Hollywood players alike.
In fact, Le was so busy acting in movies, such as Channing Tatum’s recent film Fighting, that he failed to defend his title in the eighteen months since he won the belt. Le’s decision to tie up the belt and make movies has drawn the ire of many online pundits and sports fans, and he finally relinquished the title on September 17th.
“People can say whatever they want to say, but if they calculate and have a business plan then they would think a lot differently than what they write on the blogs. They can say 'Well, look at Jackie Chan. Look at Jet Li. They’ve been around for a long time and they’re still at it.'"
When asked why he couldn't fight and shoot movies at the same time, Le points to scheduling issues that would inevitably arise.
"Not just anyone can just drop out of fighting and go and say 'I want do a movie' and 'I want to do any movie that I want.' It doesn’t work that way," he says. "When you’re hot, you’re hot. You gotta take advantage of it.”
Le isn’t the only mixed martial artist catching flack for choosing a film set over the cage. UFC president Dana White recently expressed frustration over former UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s decision to film the A-Team movie in Vancouver and put his long-anticipated fight with Rashad Evans in limbo, and lightweight prospect Roger Huerta has also fled the cage for a role in the upcoming Tekken film and the career prospects that may follow.
Le supports Jackson's move to strike while the iron is hot.
“I believe anyone in Rampage’s position would be doing the same thing,” says Le. “It’s a big studio movie. I’m sure Rampage is gonna get paid good. If the fans are upset, they just gotta understand that Rampage is going to bring new fans to the sport of MMA. Now that top athletes are starting to get into the mainstream movies, its going to create stir and get attention from non-MMA fans and could potentially make more fans for the sport.”
Le insists that his decision to relinquish the Strikeforce middleweight belt does not mean the 37-year-old is on course to retire from combat competition.
“I plan to come back as soon as I finish out some projects. That could be early next year. I will come back and do a super fight. If I feel that I’m sharp enough, then I’ll make my move to go after the title again.”
Reflecting on his childhood foray into martial arts, Le says, “Growing up as a Vietnamese American was very tough. I was picked on a lot and because of that, my mom put me into martial arts classes.”
Following a highly successful collegiate wrestling career, Le became a decorated practitioner of San Shou. The Chinese martial art, which emphasizes striking and throws, proved a perfect jumping off point to mixed martial arts for Le.
Le debuted in the cage in 2006 and by 2009 his likeness was in toy stores, next to Spiderman, Bionicles and Dora The Explorer. While honored to have his very own action figure, Le worries that the collectible isn't as lifelike as he would prefer.
“It’s very similar to me but I guess you could say I look a little bit caucasian,” he laughs.
“It’s the Vietnamese American in me.”
Asked what he thinks of cities like Vancouver, where regulators have walked away from MMA, he says, “I’m sure it’s a matter of time. MMA is the fastest growing sport. I don’t see any roadblocks that can hold MMA back. Whoever is standing in the way- lets get with the program and get MMA legalized because it’s going to be everywhere.”