Having first visited these shores in October 2012, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Macau on 1 March as England’s John Hathaway and South Korea’s Hyun Kim do battle in their long-awaited welterweight bout. But the event will also double as the finale of “The Ultimate Fighter: China” with the first winners of the show to be crowned at the Venetian’s CotaiArena. Serving as coach and mentor for the 16 contestants throughout “The Ultimate Fighter: China” has been local hero Cung Le, who headlined the first UFC Macau 18 months ago and made history when he knocked out Rich Franklin with one devastating punch. World Gaming caught up with Le to discuss this exciting event and his own amazing career.
World Gaming: It’s great to speak with you Cung and thank you for taking the time to chat with WGM. UFC is headed back to Macau on 1 March. How does it feel for you to see it return?
Cung Le: For me, I experienced the first UFC event in Macau (in October 2012) and it was amazing. I wish I could be part of this fight card too but I’m very excited to see UFC going back to Macau because it is an amazing place to fight and to host the biggest fight promotion in the world, UFC.
WGM: You scored a memorable win over Rich Franklin during the last UFC in Macau. Seeing the UFC return here must bring some great memories?
CL: Yes. During my media tour, every time I walked through a place, I remembered, “Oh, I was here last time when I fought Rich Franklin”. This definitely brings back a lot of good memories.
WGM: Is the win over Rich Franklin two years ago still the career highlight for you? Tell us a bit about that punch and what it meant to you?
CL: Yes, that KO over Rich Franklin was one of the biggest KO’s and the biggest win in my whole fighting career. I was honored to be part of that card and headlining UFC Macau, the first one ever. So, history was made and I made history by knocking out Rich Franklin. It’s an amazing feeling.
WGM: You have an incredible career record in kickboxing. What attracted you to mixed martial arts back in 2006?
CL: I did have an amazing kickboxing career in Sanda and full contact fighting career. But my fight promoter, who promoted Strikeforce on ESPN, started promoting Mixed Martial Arts and he actually talked me into being the co-main event on the first ever MMA Sanshou event in California. We set a record at more than 18,000 people showing up to that event. I was honored to be part of it. I’m glad I did that event and started doing Mixed Martial Arts.
WGM: What skills do you need to possess in MMA as opposed to other disciplines?
CL: I have to train for every single element for MMA fighting inside the Octagon, from the ground work to my standing. But the ground work has to come first because that was something I was not strong at. I worked really hard to understand the game, and to be more well-rounded as a fighter.
WGM: You made your UFC debut at 39 years of age. Why did you leave it until you were 39 and had you considered doing so earlier?
CL: I always wanted to fight in the UFC but I was part of my friend Scott’s promotion Strikeforce which eventually got bought out by the UFC. Strikeforce and Showtime had an agreement. My contract was locked by Showtime and I remember that they wouldn’t let me out of my contract so I couldn’t get to the UFC. So, I said I would retire if I couldn’t fight for the UFC. However, Dana [White] and Lorenzo [Fertitta] brought me into the office later on and gave me a new contract and said not to worry about my old contract. So, that’s why it took so long for me to get into the UFC.
WGM: What is it about UFC that makes it so special and so popular?
CL: UFC is the biggest fight promotion in the world. It’s like going from the minor leagues in baseball to the major leagues. That’s something you dream of. You get into and fight for the biggest promotion in the world.
WGM: Asia is the birthplace of martial arts but has it been a tough market to crack for the UFC?
CL: Yes Asia is the birthplace and has been really hard to crack but the great thing is now UFC is about to have the second event in Macau and it finished 12 episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter: China”, which is airing now. So, UFC is starting to make its way into Asia.
WGM: Do you expect more Asian fighters to make their presence felt in UFC over the coming years?
CL: Yes I expect a lot more Asian fighters to try to get into the UFC, going from the minor leagues into the major league!
WGM: UFC Macau will also serve as the finale of “The Ultimate Fighter: China”. What can you tell us about the quality of the fighters you’ve mentored on the show?
CL: The world is going to see China’s best and I believe the four Chinese finalists will put on a great fight for all of Asia and all of the world to see. You can expect all four of them to have a powerful desire to win. They will bring the lightning and thunder!
WGM: Have you enjoyed the role of coaching rather than fighting?
CL: Yes I do enjoy this role to be the mentor coach and become the big “boss” of Asia, that has made it more appealing to me, but I still love to fight. At the same time, this is a new experience and something for me to give back to all of the fighters in Asia. So it definitely means lot to me and is something different in my career.
WGM: What are your plans for the future? Are coaching and acting going to take greater priority or will we see you fighting again soon?
CL: What you can expect to see is me doing all three – fighting, doing movies and coaching.
WGM: Finally, you lost a thrilling fight against Wanderlei Silva in UFC 139? Would you like the chance to fight him again?
CL: I would love to. That would be the top of my list.
