UFC 139: 5 Reasons Putting Cung Le in the Main Event Is a Mistake

There is no denying that Cung Le is a full blown star. From his fights in the cage to showing up in movies like Pandorum with Dennis Quaid prove it.  

Still, I can't understand why Dana White has allowed Le to take up a main slot in a UFC pay-per-view card. Against Vitor Belfort no less.

The "Phenom" is a draw, not to mention that Belfort is coming off a win against Akiyama. Sure Le is a draw in his own right and can fight too, but there are also a lot of drawbacks to using a full-blown action movie star who also competes in MMA.

You can never be sure how reliable he is going to be. For a businessman like White, I'm surprised that he either didn't consider or didn't care about the possible reasons that this could end badly.

The first being...

Cung Le Likes Doing Movies More Than Fighting

Le had one fight in December of 2009. This was after he had a fight in March of 2008.

Why? Because Cung Le is an action movie star that fights on the side. Not the other way around.

Remember when Rampage put off fighting Rashad Evans because he was making the A-Team movie?

Dana White was furious. He stated that he felt Rampage was making a huge mistake and personally let his emotions out. And that was against Rampage Jackson who he not only personally likes, but feels indebted to for all the great fights he has put on.

Do you think he'll give Cung Le the benefit of the doubt?  

I don't think so. The first time Le says that he only wants high-profile fights, but he wants White to wait while he finishes his next three movies, he will most likely be laughed out of the company.

It also means that White will have wasted a main event slot on a guy who won't be there that long.

Cung Le Loves Being a Movie Star More Than Being a Fighter

This is slightly different from the first slide. Rampage made the A-Team movie and he could have made more than that, but at his core he is a fighter. That is why Dana White loves him. At his core he is a competitor who thrives on trying to crush anyone before him who might challenge him.

Le isn't the same.  

He has stated multiple times that he only wants certain fights and to see how his film career lines up before taking any challengers. This is ridiculous. At one point he was the Strikeforce middleweight champion, but relinquished the belt after getting a major motion picture deal.

Can you imagine almost any fighter saying to the UFC, "I realize that I'm considered the best in the world and hold part of the company on my shoulders but I think I'm going to do this film thing instead."

First, the UFC would sue him so fast he'd be declared guilty before he could get a lawyer.

Second, its not the mentality that the UFC looks for in their fighters. They want guys who fight to be the best. Simple as that.  

Yet it isn't enough for Le.

As Dana says, he likes guys who come to [expletive] fight!

Le isn't one of them.

The UFC Fans Don't Know Who Cung Le Is

As MMA fans, I'm sure we would like to believe that those who watch the sport enjoy the athleticism mixed with the ancient practice of self-defense. In truth, though, it's more like the guys pictured above who watch the UFC.

And don't get it twisted. Most people are UFC fans, not MMA fans. They don't tune in to Sherdog.com to watch MFC fights, and they probably never heard about the WEC until after it was folded into the UFC.

That means most of them don't know who Cung Le is. They might have seen him in a movie or two, but that doesn't mean that they know who he is outside of it.

This means that in order for Le to gain the press needed to push a PPV he would need the UFC machine behind him in full force. They would have to establish who he is, why he is a threat, and why fans should cheer or boo him.

This while take time which is a real problem because... 

Cung Le Is 39 Years Old

Le is going to take time to buildup into a main event star, and unless he ages like Randy Couture, he doesn't have it.

Le is 39 and age plays a factor in all sports and in the athletes who perform them. Le is no exception. He may be less worn then most fighters because of the lack of fights he's had, but that only protects him so much.

Plus he is a striker and that usually means that there is a faster drop off then for a ground based fighter. Reflexes are the first thing that start to diminish in a fighter, and they are one of the top things that Le relies on.

If he even does get past Vitor Belfort or at least loses reasonably well, he might have four or five fights left in him. If he decides to fight full time—history has shown he isn't—that might reduce it to two or three.

Overall, it would be a waste of money to promote him.

There Are Plenty of Other Guys Who Deserve It More

Cung Le is being a gift when he fights Vitor Belfort. He gets exposure and sponsors he would never have, a chance at a title shot, a crack at a top contender, and the ability to test himself at the top level. The area where the cream rises to the top. The problem is he hasn't worked nearly as hard as a bunch of other middleweights to get there.

He is a great former kickboxer and grappler, and has certainly earned the accolades he has received. But he isn't in the gym sweating day to day and sparring to get better. He is reading lines and scripts.

Le isn't getting pounded on by sparring partners larger than him in preparation for a big fight. He is doing press conferences at conventions.

He isn't sweating and racking his brain about where and when his next chance might come. He is posing for the camera at movie premieres. 

He just isn't doing any of those things and that is a problem. Because those are the things that fighters do.

And instead of giving the fight to any of them, Le gets it.

Except he doesn't get it. Not really. And no matter how many great fights he gets offered he never will.

What Do You Think

Am I wrong? Am I right?

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

And as always, thanks for reading.