UFC 139 Fight Card: 6 Things You Need to Know About Cung Le

When Cung Le enters the Octagon at UFC 139 in November, it will be the first time he will fight outside of Strikeforce.

Not only is this a major milestone in this former champion's career, but it will also be a huge step up in competition for Le.

Set to face former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva in San Jose, California, Le will be bringing an exciting set of skills that should definitely get his hometown crowd fired up.

Here are six things that fans should know about this flashy middleweight as he joins the UFC.

Trains at American Kickboxing Academy

For those fans who are unaware of Cung Le's fighting background, the Sanshou expert is considered a top-level mixed martial artist thanks to the company he keeps.

Fighting out of his hometown of San Jose, California, Le is a long time member of the American Kickboxing Academy, where he trains with some of the best in the world.

Among his AKA teammates are UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, perennial welterweight contender Jon Fitch and former top contender and Ultimate Fighter alum Josh Koscheck.

Le has a deep affiliation with the team, owning his own AKA gym in the San Jose area.

Having the ability to train with some of the elites in the sport has been a true asset for Le.

Movie Star

When Le's not kicking people's butts in the cage, he's doing it on the screen.

Using his martial arts skills to acquire fighting roles in movies and on television, Le has been acting professionally since 1997.

In 2009, he appeared in the science fiction film "Pandorum" alongside Dennis Quaid. That same year, Le had a role in the martial arts film "Fighting" which starred Channing Tatum.

Le's most famous role to date, however, is Marshall Law in the screen adaptation of the fighting video game "Tekken" in 2010.

The Vietnamese-American martial arts star will soon be seen alongside legend Jean-Claude Van Damme in an action film called Dragon Eyes set for release in 2012. 

Fantastic Striking

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Cung Le is his devastating striking.

Before making the move to MMA, Le was an accomplished, undefeated kickboxer. An ISKA Sanshou champion, Le has defeated many notable fighters including Shonie Carter, Brian Warren and Brian Ebersole.

In MMA, Le has finished his opponents in each of his seven wins.  Known primarily for his kicks, Le's punches are just as powerful, with three of those seven finishes coming via knockout punches.

A blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do as well, Le has a vast array of strikes that keep his opponents guessing.

Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion

Le deserves respect as a fighter, not only due to his skills, but because he has garnered a plethora of championship belts.

In kickboxing, he's won numerous awards that have translated into major success in MMA.

Facing then champion Frank Shamrock in 2008, Le won the Strikeforce Middleweight championship by technically knocking the legend out after breaking his arm with his deadly kicks.

Although he never defended his belt due to movie obligations, Le's win over Shamrock remains a legendary bout that brought him the title in an exciting fashion.

Underrated Wrestling

What many people forget about Le is that he has great wrestling ability.

Le began wrestling in high school and was an All-American as a junior.  Competing for Western Valley College, Le won the California Junior College State Championship in 1990.

In MMA, Le has used his wrestling along with sweeps and tactics from Sanshou to take opponents down, as well as stuffing their shots to keep fights standing when he wants to.

Because of Wanderlei Silva's penchant for striking, Cung Le the wrestler might be coming out at UFC 139.

Deadly Kicks

A well-rounded striker overall, Le's kicks are his bread and butter.

Throwing hard hopping side kicks and spinning back kicks, Le has stopped many opponents with his deadly kicks.

In his rematch with Scott Smith, Le stopped the hard-nosed middleweight by catching him with a spinning back to the stomach, buckling Smith.

Le was able to take the title from Frank Shamrock by breaking his arm with his vicious kicks.

His ability to utilize creative spins and a more traditional kicking strategy is what makes Le one of the most deadly kickers in all of MMA.