This weekend saw the culmination of a life long rivalry between two San Jose, CA based mixed martial artists Frank Shamrock and Cung Le. Le handed Shamrock his first defeat via TKO since Bas Rutten and that Japanese guy kicked the crap out of him in Pancrase (Japanese Hybrid Wrestling) back in 1997. Shamrock, the undefeated UFC Middleweight Champion, was a well-rounded shoot wrestling product of his brother Ken Shamrock's fighting camp- the Lion's Den. Frank Shamrock went on to lead his own mixed martial arts team called the Alliance consisting of members Tsyuoshi Kosaka providing the jujutsu based defenses and multi-time champion kickboxer and UFC heavyweight champion Maurie Smith fine tuning the striking firepower of each man. Frank Shamrock represented the prototypical mixed martial artist. Unlike martial artists of the previous decades, Shamrock had not come up through traditional dojos or kwoons. He was a product of a scientifically based training academy. Shootwrestling was a science. Combat could be mastered through a proper application of technique and physical endurance. He was everything science said a mixed martial artist should be: strong, fast, possessing indefatigable stamina, as well as the all around knowledge of mixed martial arts ranges. Ranges in mixed martial arts include boxing, kickboxing, trapping, grappling, and submissions. Shamrock knew them all - free from the dogma and rigidity and compassion of the traditional arts. He was made to search and destroy. And Cung Le was supposed to be just another victim.
Cung Le was a prototypical martial artist as well. Like Shamrock, Le possesses the strength, speed and endurance to go a full five rounds. Unlike Shamrock, Le was the product of a traditional martial arts background. He is a throwback to the 1970's when Kung Fu ruled the world. And a man named Lee was King. The buzzword in the streets was Kung Fu. A television series made the concept a household word. Kung Fu was the secret art of kicking ass and only the "Chinamen" knew it. Well put on your bell bottoms and turn up those butterfly collars because Kung Fu is back! Specifically San Shou Kung Fu is making waves as the world's best proponent of the sport Cung Le makes his way into the MMA ranks. At the age of eighteen, Cung Le began studying Vietnamese Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do at the Hung Vuong School in Saratoga. Le was an accomplished high school wrestler as well and eventually made his way from Tae Kwon Do competitions to full blown San Shou tournaments. San Shou is a combination of kung fu, wrestling, and kick boxing developed by the Chinese government during World War II. Cung Le quickly became the world's best proponent of San Shou by defeating San Shou champions from around the world including undefeated Jason Yee in America, Manaro Taro in Japan and the feared Mongolian King in China. Le's popularity helped bring San Shou competition to national attention as he was featured on ESPN television competing in K1 in San Shou championship matches. Following a dominating series of defenses, Le moved into the arena of mized martial arts. The strong grappling and devastating strikes of San Shou served Le well inside the octagonal cage of mixed martial arts. Le amassed a 5-0 record in mixed martial arts with a 100% knockout ratio. He was outclassing the journeymen and trial horse fighters lined up in front of him. No one knew how Cung Le would fare in competition against an elite level mixed martial artist. How would Le's San Shou hold up against a skilled, and dangerous opponent? Le had to look no further than his hometown and to his friendly rivalry with Frank Shamrock.
Shamrock and Le had sparred together in the past – with legend having Le school Shamrock on each occasion. Shamrock claims he got the better of the sessions – but it is common knowledge that he was on the dooky end of the stick against Le each time out. Now they would meet inside the ring for Shamrock's Elite XC Middleweight Championship. Who would win? The seasoned mixed martial artist? Or the world's greatest San Shou fighter?
Le managed to keep Shamrock on the end of his kicks all night long. Le simply could not miss the side of Shamrock's face with his foot. Going into the fight Frank Shamrock promised the media that he would stand and trade punches and kicks with Cung Le. In his previous fight, Shamrock outslugged noted brawler Phil Baroni “The New York Bad Ass”. Shamrock picked and chose his shots against Baroni and called everything just before he threw it. Shamrock taunted Baroni by miming the action of resting his head on a pillow to indicate that Baroni was about to be “put to sleep”. Shamrock showed Baroni no respect and battered him into the cage. Shamrock would try similar tactics against Cung Le. At the end of the first round, Shamrock celebrated his success landing a series of right hands on Cung Le's head. Shamrock decided it was time to clown Le as he had Baroni and the round ends with Shamrock indicating to Le that he was going to put him to sleep. The second round picked up where the first left off. Shamrock taunted Le again and as Shamrock moved his hands to pantomime for Le, Cung effortlessly flicked up a foot with the quickness of a snake's tongue and smacked Frank Shamrock in the side of his face. Shamrock bobbed his head trying to avoid Le's attack and lunged out with a right hand counter of his own – only to run face first into Cung Le's right foot sending Shamrock's mouthpiece flying across the ring. Cung Le stepped back from the flustered and visibly shaken Shamrock and extended a finger –to scold him like a teacher reminding the student that Shamrock still had much to learn. Cung Le continued teaching a lesson of pain to Frank Shamrock through a variety of expertly timed side kicks, spin kicks, punching combinations, foot sweeps and lightning fast spinning backfists! Although being thoroughly outgunned in every exchange, Frank Shamrock fired that counter right enough to make this the most competitive one-sided beating in MMA.
Shamrock made his last stand in the third round. He finally timed a series of strong crosses into Cung Le's face. Le was hurt on several occasions – which Shamrock used to close the gap to in-fighting against the cage. Shamrock hammered in several short elbows as well as a strong knee to send Cung scrambling back for safety. Shamrock followed Cung – looking to finish him with another barrage – when Cung's championship heart came to the front and he rallied back with a series of kickboxing combinations. With a strong side kick and a vicious spinning backfist Shamrock was knocked back to long range where Cung could kick him into oblivion. The two came together for another exchange and Cung launched another solid left round kick to Shamrock's head and just as he had done all night long, Shamrock blocked it with his right arm. Shamrock's body shook as Cung's kick swung into him. Shamrock instantly scattered back to the far side of the Octagon for safety. Cung Le pressed close to him and peppered Shamrock with combinations. Shamrock came up from a crouch swinging defiantly in a last second attempt to assuage Le's fury – but Le ate the shot without moving. Using the space created by the punch, Le launched into a solid round kick to the side of Shamrock's face. The referee lept between the two clashing men and they parted reluctantly. Cung Le walked calmly to his corner as Frank Shamrock sank to one knee.
Then it happened. Shamrock's corner, consisting of the legendary Maurice Smith calls for the doctor. Before you know it, Shamrock is laid out flat on his back wincing in agony as the doctor examines his right arm. Cung Le broke Shamrock's right ulna with that hard left roundhouse kick. Frank Shamrock was physically unable to continue. Cung Le is the new Elite XC Middleweight Champion. And a star is born.
Cung Le seems to me to embody the spirit of Bruce Lee in the modern milieu of MMA. Le's versatility and ring intelligence show that he has a full understanding of the ranges of combat as laid out by Bruce Lee and his art of Jeet Kune Do. Le's deceptive and deadly style seems to embody Lee's philosophy of intercepting an opponent's attack. Le often fights with his hands down, serving to draw in his opponents as they aim for his exposed face. Le's quick defense usually allows him to get out of the way of anything coming at him enabling him to throw a counter punch or kick from any angle. And if his opponent is too close for kickboxing, Le knows to lock them up and has thrown just about every fighter he's been in the ring with - including Frank Shamrock. Although Le was the product of a traditional martial schooling, his mix of disciplines allowed him to fight in a very live manner with the ability to adapt to anything his opponent might do. If Bruce Lee could make a fighter – he would make Cung Le. This fight was a classic in so many ways. It was traditionalism vs modernism. It was MMA vs Kung Fu. It was the veteran against the newcomer. It was champion vs champion. Something special happened on that night in March 2008. Cung Le shocked the mixed martial arts world by defeating one of the most respected champions in the sport. Kung Fu is back and Cung Le is the new King in town.
Somewhere Bruce Lee is smiling.
You can search for and watch the fight on Dailymotion and Youtube!
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