Cung Le believes he is what the casual fans want
by Zak Woods on Dec 18, 2009 12:00 PM EST
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Cung Le spoke to Jeremy Botter of Heavy.com and Le wants to assure the hardcore fans that his fighting style is exactly what the casuals fans want to see.
Heavy.com:: There seems to be a perception on the internet, at least among the hardest of the hardcore fans, that you are either handpicking your opponents or Scott is hand-picking easy opponents for you. Why do you think that perception exists?
Cung Le: I don't know. Those fans aren't the ones handling the promotion of the show, or trying to sell tickets. They're not the ones putting these shows together. Everyone is going to have their own opinion, of course. And I understand that there are hardcore MMA fans. But in order for this sport to grow, the sport needs your average fans like the NFL, like baseball or basketball.
We need those people to follow MMA and to become fans of MMA. And sometimes the matches that the hardcore fan wants to see might not appeal to the regular, casual fan. And I think Scott Coker, out of everyone involved with Strikeforce, understands that. He understands that in order to move the company to a higher level, to the level of other major league sports, to the level of football or baseball or basketball, you have to get more fans. And if we're just trying to put the fights together that hardcore MMA fans want to see, how are we going to move forward?
You're right Cung, the sport needs to grow and in order to grow you have to bring in more fans. But what happens if we cater so much to fans who don't understand the ground game? Doesn't MMA just become kickboxing with 4oz. gloves?
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If casual fans are looking for a guy who fights once in nearly two years to make craptacular movies, than Cung Le is the man for the job!
by E. Spencer Kyte on Dec 18, 2009 2:06 PM EST reply actions
He is right
It may be frustrating, but he is right. Maybe not watching him specifically, but the type of fight in general. The casual fan (in every sport) is what drives the sport. The hardcore following is always going to be a minority. All-Star voting is a perfect example, guys like A.I. and Shaq get votes even though they are way past their prime. Our hope is that people tune into the slugfest and become more knowledgeable over time. Those causal fans who annoy us at bars or boo at live events may frustrate us, but they are neccesary for the growth of our sport.
The potential problem is if we provide these type of fights and fighters with top level respect. Cung Le no longer has the belt, is not fighting a top fighter, and is not in the UFC (the mecca of MMA promotions). However, if these fights become all that is wanted then we are in trouble.
whew, im exhausted
"That's an Awfully Big Mustache"-Frank Drebin
watchkalibrun.com
Cung wants to be to MMA
what the Jonas Brothers are to rock
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
What are the Jonas Brothers to rock?
by Jonathan Snowden on Dec 18, 2009 3:30 PM EST up reply actions
Like the poppy stuff kids like
Just because they play instruments, it doesn’t make them a rock band.
Just because Dung Le is fighting MMA and headlining a show, it doesn’t make him a good fighter.
@fjbar75 on twitter...formerly El Mexicutioner
Having seen Cung Le in action (especially in San Shou) leaves little doubt in my mind that he’s a good fighter. At 37, he may not be able to become a great MMArtist. But he is fun to watch and has lots of tools.
People always say his opponents should take him down. He was a college wrestler and a beast to take to the mat. He’s really good.
by Jonathan Snowden on Dec 18, 2009 7:52 PM EST up reply actions
Wow. At least Dana credits the hardcore fanbase for keeping the sport alive during times when it wasn’t a hip thing to talk about.
Remember when it wasn’t a hip credit on your resume that got you movie roles if you just did it against handpicked opponents? Remember when it could’ve used the help of then-popular martial artists? Cung remembers those days, right?
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