|
|
  - CUNG LE COMMENTS ON SURPRISE MMA RETURN
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - by Mick Hammond - MMAWeekly.com
In what was one of MMA’s busiest 24-hour stretches, which saw two Strikeforce events in two separate states sandwich a Sengoku show from Japan, one of the biggest happenings was something that took place outside the ring.
After more than 20 months away from the fight game, onetime Strikeforce middleweight Champion Cung Le made the surprise announcement that he would be returning to action in December to take on the ever-dangerous Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith.
“I wasn’t planning to fight this year,” Le admitted to MMAWeekly.com. “I was getting ready to do a movie, a project that I’ve been working on from scratch – working with a writer on a script, getting a director – and the project got pushed to next year.
“My plan was to come back after I finished this project and start training to get back into the cage next year, but when I found out a couple weeks ago that the project would be pushed to next year, I spoke to (Strikeforce promoter) Scott Coker, and he asked me if I’d be interested in coming back.”
From there things quickly escalated into Le making his return to fighting, with the approval of one of his trainers.
“I wasn’t far from being out of fight shape, because I’ve been training with fighters when I had the time,” said Le. “(I was) getting Anthony Johnson ready for his fights, James Terry, and a bunch of other fighters.
“The first couple weeks went well, and Javier Mendez gave me the green light, thinking I would be fine to get back in and do a super fight.”
And what a fight it will be, as Le steps in to face possibly the most dangerous fight of his career in Scott Smith.
“I think it’s going to be a fantastic fight,” he exclaimed. “Scott Smith always comes to fight. We’re two exciting fighters who like to stand up and put on a show.”
While people are happy to hear of Le’s return to MMA, one can’t help but wonder what if he hadn’t relinquished his title, which was claimed by Jake Shields about 24 hours after Le’s return announcement.
“I knew what I was doing,” said Le. “I didn’t want to do (just fighting or acting), I wanted to do both, and to do that I had to make sacrifices and that’s what I did.
“Life doesn’t work out the way you want it to sometimes, you have to go with the flow, and that’s what I’m doing. If my (winning) streak keeps going good, then maybe I’ll come back and make a run at it.”
With two highly anticipated films due in China over the next several months, and an original project in the pipeline, it’s not clear whether or not Le will be able to commit to a full-time fight career in the coming year, but he remains optimistic.
“I know there are a lot of people who thought I wouldn’t return; well they can eat their words now,” he stated. “I’m going to fight in December, and then I’m going to try to push this project, and then get in another fight next year or maybe two.
“I’m not going to overlook Scott Smith, he’s one of those dangerous fighters who has a powerful punch and is a game fighter. I’ve got to treat this like a title fight, and whatever happens after this fight, happens. Right now I’ve just got to take it one fight at a time and see how it goes.”
BACK TO THE NEWS
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Related Articles :
- - SHIELDS OUTHUSTLES MILLER FOR STRIKEFORCE TITLE (Saturday, November 07, 2009)
Long considered one of the best welterweights in the world, Jake Shields staked his claim at 185 pounds on Saturday night with a unanimous decision victory over Jason “Mayhem” Miller...
- - SCOTT SMITH WELCOMES BACK CUNG LE IN DECEMBER (Saturday, November 07, 2009)
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le will return against Scott Smith at the promotion's Dec. 19 "Evolution" event...
- - SHIELDS' MOVE TO 185 MAY NOT BE PERMANENT (Friday, October 30, 2009)
Jake Shields officially makes the move to middleweight for a shot at the vacant Strikeforce 185-pound title against Jason “Mayhem” Miller on Nov. 7, but the leap in weight class may not be permanent...
- - CUNG LE ON TITLE SITUATION AND NEW MOVIE (Monday, September 21, 2009)
Cung Le talks about his upcoming movie Pandorum, the release of his Round 5 MMA figure and relinquishing the Strikeforce middleweight title...
- - LE STEPS DOWN; SHIELDS VS. MILLER FOR 185 BELT (Thursday, September 17, 2009)
Jake Shields and Jason "Mayhem" Miller will contend for the undisputed Strikeforce middleweight belt after Cung Le has stepped down as champion....
- - FRANK SHAMROCK PLANNING DECEMBER RETURN (Saturday, August 22, 2009)
Frank Shamrock expects to return to competition in the Strikeforce promotion in December, but an opponent has not been named...
- - CUNG LE TAKES CENTER STAGE (Sunday, April 06, 2008)
With his victory over Frank Shamrock, Cung Le emerged from the MMA shadows and into the spotlight ...
- - ELITE XC-STRIKEFORCE REVIEW & PHOTOS (Sunday, March 30, 2008)
Cung Le became "King of San Jose" and Strikeforce middleweight champion on Saturday night, as he toppled MMA legend Frank Shamrock at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. ...
Copyright 2009 MMA Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of MMA Weekly content is expressly prohibited without expressed written consent of MMA Weekly. MMA Weekly will not be liable for any errors in content or any action taken in reliance thereof.
|
|
|
|
