Rumor: Frank Shamrock vs Cung Le set! - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

Gygax · 01-11-2008, 07:38 PM

Well, it looks like Frank Shamrock has finally agreed to take on Cung Le. That's according to Dave Meltzer of Yahoo Sports.

Quote:

Strikeforce and Elite XC will present their second joint show, headlined by Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le in a five-round fight for the Strikeforce middleweight title, on March 29 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.

A news conference involving both promotions to officially announce the fight is expected to take place some time next week. The event will air live on Showtime and include two matches from Strikeforce, two from Elite XC, and one match pitting a Strikeforce fighter against an Elite XC fighter.

No other matches are finalized for the show, but it is expected Gilbert Melendez will defend the Strikeforce lightweight title and that Jake Shields will also be fighting on the show.

Shamrock and Le have been the two biggest drawing cards for Strikeforce, which has drawn the largest MMA crowds in North America besides UFC. A joint venture between the two promotions June 22 on Showtime, featuring Shamrock beating Phil Baroni and Le beating Tony Fryklund, drew the highest rating (1.72), for a non-UFC MMA show in North America.
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Mickey Finn · 01-11-2008, 07:41 PM

cool, ive seen a couple of cung le's fights and he was very exciting

FightingIrish · 01-11-2008, 08:31 PM

I think Frank will submit him with ease. I agreed with Shamrock before that Le just doesn't have the experience yet, but Shamrock was probably shown alot of green and decided to take the fight.

Pitbull · 01-11-2008, 08:44 PM

I believe from what I've read, Cung Le actually has some wrestling experience. I wonder if it's good enough to keep the fight standing.

The-Iceman-Chuck-Liddell · 01-11-2008, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitbull

I believe from what I've read, Cung Le actually has some wrestling experience. I wonder if it's good enough to keep the fight standing.

Ya he has some sick throws to... With that being said Frank wins Tapout round 2.

marnold · 01-12-2008, 12:14 PM

I want this fight sooo badly--as long as I don't have to get in the ring. Unfortunately, a competing rumor as of today has arisen. In a world where the most effective lies persist, who can you trust?
MMANEWS.COM | Cung Le Says Frank Shamrock Backed Out Of Proposed Fight

Gygax · 01-12-2008, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marnold

I want this fight sooo badly--as long as I don't have to get in the ring. Unfortunately, a competing rumor as of today has arisen. In a world where the most effective lies persist, who can you trust?
MMANEWS.COM | Cung Le Says Frank Shamrock Backed Out Of Proposed Fight

Man, some news sites can't get it straight. That site MMANews is reporting that Cung Le story, which actually took place prior to his November 16th fight with Sam Morgan. The story mentions the middleweight tournament that took place as well as the Puder and Buentello fights on that Nov 16th card. It also says he was looking to go 5-0, which he already is after the Morgan fight. So obviously, they didn't speak to Cung like they say in the story.

At this point, its still a rumor, but nothing has come out and denied it.

PINOYPRIDE · 01-16-2008, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gygax

Man, some news sites can't get it straight. That site MMANews is reporting that Cung Le story, which actually took place prior to his November 16th fight with Sam Morgan. The story mentions the middleweight tournament that took place as well as the Puder and Buentello fights on that Nov 16th card. It also says he was looking to go 5-0, which he already is after the Morgan fight. So obviously, they didn't speak to Cung like they say in the story.

At this point, its still a rumor, but nothing has come out and denied it.

it is now official according to MMA weekly...Here is the article.

EliteXC and Strikeforce on Tuesday officially announced that Frank Shamrock will defend his Strikeforce middleweight title against Cung Le on a March 29 event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., co-promoted by the two organizations.

“As a martial arts promoter for 25 years and as a promoter of both of these fighters, I’ve been watching the rivalry between Frank and Cung build for quite some time,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. “So it’s great to see this matchup finally come to fruition.”

“Being No. 2 isn’t such a bad thing so Cung has nothing to be ashamed of,” cracked the ever-entertaining Shamrock. “But there’s a big difference between being No. 1 and No. 2. Le will find that out soon enough.”

Shamrock won the championship by defeating Phil Baroni at the first event co-promoted by Stirkeforce and EliteXC in June of 2007.

“People have been wondering when I’d take the next step in the cage and fight an established superstar and world champion,” said Le, who has built his mixed martial arts record to a perfect 5-0. “Well, here it is. The fans are in for a great fight.”

The five-round championship bout will be the main event on a Showtime telecast that begins live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west

T-Bone · 01-16-2008, 08:26 AM

It's official...for now (the way things have been going w/rumors lately, right Gina?).

Go Showtime!

mammoth91 · 01-16-2008, 09:24 AM

This is great news ! I'm looking for Le to win this fight with a violent striking barage. As we have seen, his throws are extremly quick and hard to time against and next to A. Silva, the best pure striker I have seen. Franks skills are well known to us but I see Le being more hungry, quicker and with the type of strikes that Frank has never seen.

Like Machida, his TMA will prevail and take him to the top.
How long until we see him in the UFC ??

gilliam · 01-16-2008, 09:41 AM

my money is on shamrock........

T-Bone · 01-16-2008, 09:59 AM

Think the crowd will be mixed considering they're both hometown boys?

PINOYPRIDE · 01-16-2008, 01:37 PM

Frank has an advantage on the ground but Le has a great advantage in the striking. I have to go with Frank on this fight cause No one has seen Le with his ground skills.

MTKrav911 · 01-17-2008, 11:20 AM

My brother in law already bought us some tickets for this. 100 dollar 5th row seats?

That's pretty damn good. There are alot of ticket companies here in San Jose that are pumping it up and making it affordable in order to pack the house.

Should be fun as long as Strikeforce allows Shamrock to use grappling on Le. I'm still not convinced that they're allowing Le's opponents to shoot on him.

That's about as conspiratorial as I'm gonna get. If for some reason Shamrock doesent shoot on Le?

Then we'll know it's true.

Shamrock not shooting is like saying Royce Gracie is a knockout artist

basslogic4003 · 01-17-2008, 11:21 AM

Psyched! I'm real happy about this one! I have Le by TKO in the first round.

T-Bone · 01-17-2008, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTKrav911

My brother in law already bought us some tickets for this. 100 dollar 5th row seats?

That's pretty damn good. There are alot of ticket companies here in San Jose that are pumping it up and making it affordable in order to pack the house.

Should be fun as long as Strikeforce allows Shamrock to use grappling on Le. I'm still not convinced that they're allowing Le's opponents to shoot on him.

That's about as conspiratorial as I'm gonna get. If for some reason Shamrock doesent shoot on Le?

Then we'll know it's true.

Shamrock not shooting is like saying Royce Gracie is a knockout artist

Hmmm, what are you trying to say, Krav?

Enjoy the show!

Gygax · 01-17-2008, 12:02 PM

I also genuinely excited to see this fight. Scott Coker of Strikeforce is an excellent promoter IMO. Its too bad he's teamed up with Gary Shaw and EliteXC, because now Shaw is taking some credit for getting this match set up, which is BS. But the partnership will allow this fight to be seen via Showtimeand thats a great thing.

This really is an intriguing fight. While Cung is pretty new to MMA, he is not new to fighting and has exceptional striking tools. As Joe Rogan would say, he has K-1 level striking skills. But this isn't your typical striker only. Because of his extensive San Shou and Wushu training, he has needed to hone his grappling skills over his 15 year professional career. Taking him down from the clinch will be extremely difficult for Shamrock. If anything, the clinch will allow Le to work his phenomenal throws. Even with just 5 MMA fights, Le has alot more real fight experience than your average 5 fight veteran.

Against Frank Shamrock, Cung is facing a legend of the sport who considering his lengthy absence from the sport, is still very dangerous and accomplished. Frank is as well rounded as they come. His grappling is world class and conditioning has never been a problem for him. His striking is solid, but not as good as many claim. While I used to be a big fan of Frank's I've soured on him during his comeback the last 2 years. Too much smack talking for me. His claims of his greatness are tiresome considering the handpicked opponents he's faced. Cesar Gracie, while a BJJ legend, had never been in an MMA fight before the Shamrock fight. He was losing the fight to Renzo handily before getting DQ'd for the illegal knees. The Baroni fight was the first comeback fight that I was actually impressed with Frank's performance. And its that fight that will likely make him the favorite in this fight and deservedly so.

This fight really could go either way. For Cung Le, it will cement him as a legitimate contender. For Shamrock, it will signal that he is fully back on the scene and in control. He didn't want this fight as he's stated multiple times last year. But its the only fight that makes sense in the Strikeforce promotion and I give him credit for stepping up to the plate.