Not many fighters get to follow a successful fight career as a Movie Star. Many have tried and yet Don Wilson seems to be the only one to be successful and make a career out of it. However current IKF Pro San Shou and UFC Fighter Cung Le hopes to do the same. Le has had a very active life after fighting (Well... Not saying he's retired... Yet) and has made the most noise as an up and coming Action Movie Star. Le's latest movie is "A Certain Justice" which is due to opens in March! He just got back from a 16 day media tour. Cung says it was his best acting performance.

To see a clip of A Certain Justice Click HERE.

Le's character is John who after returning home from a traumatic tour of duty in Iraq, he finds himself struggling with PTSD. What little peace he had managed to build around him is shattered one fateful day when he rescues a local call girl from a group of violent Aryan Brotherhood pimps. Having killed several of the high-ranking brotherhood during the rescue, he and his family are now the prime targets of Hollis, the ruthless criminal leader of the group played by Dolph Lundgren.

The cast includes Vinnie Jones, Gianni Capaldi, Briana Evigan, James C. Burns, Jonathan Kowalsky, Jake Jacobson and a former opponent of Le's in San Shou, Scott Sheeley. (Click)

Le was also in Pandorum, (2009) a sci-fi thriller with veteran actor Dennis Quaid. The film tells the terrifying story of two crew members stranded on a spacecraft who quickly (and horrifically) realize they are not alone.

The Grandmaster (2013)
The The Grandmaster is the story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee. It was shot in Foshan, Guangdong, China, Kaiping, Guangdong, China, Shenyang, Liaoning, China and Chikan Movie and Television City, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Click Here.

The Man With The Iron Fist (2012)
On the hunt for a fabled treasure of gold, a band of warriors, assassins, and a rogue British soldier descend upon a village in feudal China, where a humble blacksmith looks to defend himself and his fellow villagers. Le shares the big screen in this film with stars such as Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu. In Jungle Village, the leader of the Lion's clan Gold Lion (Kuan Tai Chen) is summoned by the Governor and assigned to protect his gold that will be transported through the village. However he is betrayed and murdered by the greedy Silver Lion (Byron Mann) and Bronze Lion (Cung Le). Gold Lion's favorite son Zen Yi, (Rick Yune) a.k.a. The X-Blade, seeks revenge and heads to Jungle Village, but he is defeated by Brass Body (Dave Bautista) and rescued by the local Blacksmith Thaddeus (RZA). Meanwhile the Gemini Female (Grace Huang) and the Gemini Male (Andrew Lin) protect the Governor's gold, but they are vanquished by the army of Silver and Bronze Lion. The Blacksmith is abducted by the Lions and has his arms severed by Brass Body. However he is saved by the British Jack Knife (Russell Crowe) who is the emissary of the Emperor, and he manufactures iron arms for Thaddeus. Meanwhile the Governor sends the Jackal army to fight against the Lions and they hide the gold in the brothel of Madam Blossom (Lucy Liu). However, Madam Blossom and his girls form an army of black widows and together with Jack, Zen Yi and The Blacksmith, they fight against the Lions. Click Here.

Dragon Eyes (2012)
Filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, Dragon Eyes is set in In St. Jude Square, a neighborhood living in fear and despair. The dueling gangs of local kingpins Dash (Luis Da Silva Jr.) and Antuan (Edrick Browne) terrorize the streets and the citizens live without a shred of hope... until mysterious stranger Ryan Hong (Cung Le) arrives in town. He begins to play one gang against the other using his unparalleled martial arts skills, and by calling on the teachings of his mentor Tiano (Jean-Claude Van Damme) to find the strength to battle back. However, just as he begins to bring the community under control, Hong is confronted by Mr. V, (Peter Weller) the town's ruthless and corrupt police chief. At first Mr. V is impressed by Hong's skill, but soon sees Hong as a threat to his regime, and the two warriors are locked in a head-to-head battle, pitting the fear and corruption of Mr. V's regime versus the new beginning Hong represents for the people of St. Jude Square. Scott Sheeley makes an apperance in this film as well along with some other Kickboxing and MMA stars such as Former Strikeforce Champion Gilbert Melendez. Click Here.

Other films Cung has been a part of include,

• Tekken, 2010
• True Legend, 2009
• Bodyguards and Assassins, 2009
• Pandorum, 2009
• Fighting, 2007
• Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter, 2007
• Dark Assassin, 2004
• Kwoon, 1997
• Sleight of Hand, 1997

Le had fought Jason Yee on the first ever San Shou Pay-Per-View event, but few knew who this upcoming sensation was.

Le became known to the IKF back in 1998 when the IKF co-sanctioned a new fighting series called DRAKA. IKF President Steve Fossum was the ring announcer and IKF co-founder - Dan Stell was the referee. Le had been active in the Martial Art fighting style of San Shou but the sport and Le were virtually unknown to the fight fans. After his outstanding and exciting performance Fossum made a point to let the crowd know that "Cung le was what Draka was meant to be!". In the bout Le defeated Gaik Israelyan of Armenia by Unanimous Decision. (Right)

Cung Le vs. Gaik Israelyan - Part 1 of 3

Cung Le vs. Gaik Israelyan - Part 2 of 3

Cung Le vs. Gaik Israelyan - Part 3 of 3

After the event the IKF was the first and only website to Introduce Cung Le as a Rising Star. (Click HERE!)

A few years later on December 15th, 2001 in San Jose, California, Le won the IKF Pro San Shou Light Heavyweight World Title when he defeated Shoni Carter of Chicago, Illinois, USA by unanimous decision. Le has never been challenged for the title and still holds his IKF World Title to this day.

IKF WORLD TITLE
CLICK HERE

Although that first DRAKA bout made Cung Le well known as a kickboxer, it was after he became an MMA fighter that propelled him to ultra stardom. Le blew up the MMA world with his electrifying Kicks in his Pro MMA debut on the Strikeforce MMA series promoted by Scott Coker. (Click) Le made his Pro MMA debut at the very first legally sanctioned/regulated MMA event in California. Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie on March 10, 2006, at the HP Pavilion at San Jose. In his bout Le knocked out Mike Altman at 3:51 of the first round. Four more bouts later and 4 more wins by KO/TKO and Le would be centerstage in one of the most highly rated (At the time) bouts in MMA History. On March 29, 2008, Le defeated well known MMA veteran Frank Shamrock at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Le won via TKO when he broke Shamrocks' right arm with a series of kicks. The win made Le the new Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.

After the fight Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced that Le had relinquished his belt after securing a major motion picture deal. Le returned to fighting after 21 months to face Scott Smith at Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19th, 2009. However Le suffered his first MMA defeat, losing via TKO at 3:25 of round 3. Le made it clear that he wanted a rematch and on June 26, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum Le defeated Smith via TKO at 1:46 of round 2 to avenge his only MMA loss at the time.

After the win Le has said that it's basically the UFC or bust for him at this point in his fighting career. "I know for a fact that if I do fight again, it's going to be in the UFC. I've never fought in the UFC, but I would love to fight in the UFC. But right now because of my contract with Showtime and Stikeforce, hopefully things can work out because there is a show in San Jose that Cain Velasquez is the main event. I would love to fight in San Jose for the UFC ...." said Le.

Soon after he was signed by the UFC and booked to face Vitor Belfort on November 19th, 2011 at UFC 139. However close to the event, Belfort was removed from the bout and replaced by former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva. Le managed to confuse Silva with his unorthodox kicks, and landed a spinning backfist that dropped Silva. however during the second round, Silva managed to shake Le with huge punches and knees that broke Le's nose and the bout was stopped at 4:49 of round 2.

Le's first UFC win would come on July 7th, 2012 at UFC 147 where he defeated Patrick Côté by unanimous decision (30-27 on all 3 judges cards.) Le went on to face and defeat Rich Franklin by KO with a powerful hook punch to Franklin's head at 2:17 in the first round in the main event on November 10th, 2012 at UFC: Macao. it would be Le's last fight.

In November 2013, it was announced that Le would serve as the chief coach and mentor on The Ultimate Fighter: China. It would be the China-based version of The Ultimate Fighter. Along with being a fighter and action movie star Cung has made quite an impression in the Martial Arts world too. He has run a successful gym, promoted both Kickboxing and MMA events and has also made appearances on the covers of several of the most renowned martial arts publications in the world, including Inside Kung Fu, Black Belt and Martial Arts Illustrated. A testament to his high status in Asia, an article on Le was also in the Japanese version of Black Belt Magazine. He has also captivated his audience with many appearances on ESPN and ESPN2 StrikeForce events as well and Pay-Per-View K-1 USA Grand Pre Kickboxing Championship.

From the looks of things, Cung Le has a long and exciting future ahead on the big screen. However, don't give up on him yet as a fighter, As Don Wilson has always told us

"He's always got one more fight in him..."

Le defeating Gaik Israelyan of Armenia in DRAKA