I'm a casual fan of combat sports. I've studied and trained in various Martial Arts. But I watch for entertainment. I'm not a fighter and I don't pay much attention to rank. I support the fighters with the most appealing personalities and fighting styles to me. One of those fighters is Cung Le. The guy is a bad ass. But he gets so much hate on this board and the #1 critcism is that he hasn't fought anyone worth mentioning.
I don't follow K-1 and Kickboxing very closely and don't know much about San Shou ranks. All I know is from what I've read online. It's my understanding that after a lucrative amateur career in which he won 3 San Shou bronze medals, competing in the World Tournaments, Cung Le won the 1998 Shidokan tournament and then decided to compete in San Shou professionally, fighting locally on Strikeforce kickboxing cards that were broadcast on ESPN. He beat Shonie Carter to earn a San Shou World title which he defended for the duration of his career including 3 K-1 Super fights. After that he made the transition to MMA at the suggestion of his trainer Javier Mendez.
What I don't understand is how Cung got this reputation as an overrated and protected fighter. Who challenged him that he dodged? Last time I checked he was undersized for the K-1 Grand Prix and too big for MAX. I keep hearing people say he never fought Chinese Sanda competition (I hear he challenged Liu Hailong but his team backed out) or that he had oppurtunities to fight kickboxers under K-1 rules and never attempted. What's interesting to me is that I don't think Cung has ever fought a traditional kickboxing match in his Pro career. Shidokan, San Shou and MMA have very different rules that seem to appeal to him.
What I want with this thread if for Cung Le critics to simply give us all a bit more insight into Cung's career and why they criticize it. Sources for claims are appreciated.
This is what Cung thinks of his critics:
Cung Le Hand Picked Fights