Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Frank Shamrock (23-8-1) will put his 185-pound title on the line when he takes on Cung Le (5-0) during the main event of a joint show between EliteXC and Strikeforce promotions that will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, March 29.
The highly anticipated championship tilt, which is set for five rounds, will air on premium cable channel SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET.
Here’s a snip from EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw on the match up:
“This is absolutely a tremendous fight and an extremely dangerous fight for both fighters, but one I know they have wanted and the fans have been waiting for and can’t wait to see. I can’t wait to see it either. Shamrock is a true MMA legend, but Cung Le is one of the very best fighters around, and this is his chance to prove that to the world.”
Both Shamrock and Le reside in the Bay Area, creating some tension in the past between the two fighters. Therefore, there’s certainly some serious bragging rights at stake for the winner of this bout.
Here’s a snip from Shamrock on the rivalry:
“This is a fight that has been building for years. This is where we both grew up, where we both found our paths in life as martial artists and champions of combat. It was inevitable that we would one day face each other here. I’m excited it’s finally happening.”
Shamrock — a former UFC middleweight champion — is fresh off a dominating performance over another rival, Phil Baroni, his last time out in June 2007. He has just one loss (Renzo Gracie) in his last 13 contests. However, he’s competed just five times since 2000.
Le is an accomplished San Shou kickboxer who recently made the transition to mixed martial arts. He’s looked fantastic on his feet albeit against some less than stiff competition. In fact, there are many who feel that Le has been protected and has yet to face a true challenge in MMA.
That’s about to change — Shamrock is well-versed in all aspects of the sport. It should be real interesting to see how Le responds to Shamrock’s pressure if this fight hits the canvas. Not much is known about the grappling, wrestling or jiu-jitsu abilities of Le.
Here’s a snip from Le:
“People have been wondering when I’d take the next step in the cage and fight an established superstar and world champion. Well, here it is. The fans are in for a great fight.”
Tickets for “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” go on sale this Saturday, January 19 at 10 a.m. PT at the HP Pavilion box office, as well as through Ticketmaster. Feel free to also hit up EliteXC’s official Web site and Strikeforce’s official Web site for more details.
Note: The fight between Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and Josh “The Punk” Thomson has been scratched from this card, according to Sherdog.com. Too bad … that was going to be a good one.
47 Comments »
i said this a few min ago, this is a great fight. and i see Frank winning but i wouldnt be surprised if he lost to cung
which i dont want to happen
-__-
ALways been a big fan of Frank. Ill tell you what, he looked really good in the phil baroni fight and he was injured. If he is healthy he will walk away with his strap.
how very un-interesting.
I hope Cung Kicks Franks EGOMANIAC Head OFF!!!!
They say Cung has never been taken down in mma…does anyone know if this is a fact?
[quote comment="269419"]I hope Cung Kicks Franks EGOMANIAC Head OFF!!!!
They say Cung has never been taken down in mma…does anyone know if this is a fact?[/quote]
I don’t know if it’s true or not, but he has had only five professional fights, all KO/TKO wins, against such notable opponents as Sammy Morgan and Jason Von Flue.
awesome line up for Elite XC…. I am glad to see their putting their top tier fighters against one another.. Great match up and one that I won’t wanna miss…
i been waiting for cung to fight some top compition, it won’t be an easy fight for him,if his ground game isn’t ready it will be a short night.
It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.
This should be great!!
Is this the same Cung Le from the movie Bloodsport?
[quote comment="269460"]It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.[/quote]
Yes Sir…Chung Le is done. Frank’s MMA game is off the chain even though I’m a big Renzo fan..I don’t like Frank..but I respect his fight game..he simply destroyed Phil Baroni to win the eliteXc Title..if Frank takes it to the ground it will be a short night for Chung Le..I don’t see Frank risking in the striking realm with Le when his ground is his strength with this match up..should be fun to watch.
When does Renzo get his rematch?? I hope soon..cuz till the illegal knee Renzo was beating Frank.
[quote comment="269483"][quote comment="269460"]It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.[/quote]
Yes Sir…Chung Le is done. Frank’s MMA game is off the chain even though I’m a big Renzo fan..I don’t like Frank..but I respect his fight game..he simply destroyed Phil Baroni to win the eliteXc Title..if Frank takes it to the ground it will be a short night for Chung Le..I don’t see Frank risking in the striking realm with Le when his ground is his strength with this match up..should be fun to watch.
When does Renzo get his rematch?? I hope soon..cuz till the illegal knee Renzo was beating Frank.[/quote]
Well wait just a min. Everyone said the same thing about his fight with Baroni and how Frank better take this to the groudn cause Baroni will destroy him standing. Well to everyones surprise Frank picked Baroni apart standing. One thing about Frank is he is a smart fighter. Reminds me a bit of how Randy C fights.
However when it comes to striking, Cung Le is on a totally different level. He throws the craziest kicks in all of mma. A VERY unconventional striking style for mma.
[quote comment="269460"]It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.[/quote]
YUP!
[quote comment="269460"]It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.[/quote]
I agree with ViolentMike, although Frank showed some great stand-up with Baroni. He has the potential to beat Le standing, but he’s a very smart fighter and will come in with a good game plan that takes it to the mat. Le’s striking is on another level, but Baroni hits like a truck so you can’t really question Frank’s chin.
Frank Shamrock should win here, tko’s cung lee and then tko’s ken Shamrock later in the year.
[quote comment="269483"][quote comment="269460"]It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.[/quote]
Yes Sir…Chung Le is done. Frank’s MMA game is off the chain even though I’m a big Renzo fan..I don’t like Frank..but I respect his fight game..he simply destroyed Phil Baroni to win the eliteXc Title..if Frank takes it to the ground it will be a short night for Chung Le..I don’t see Frank risking in the striking realm with Le when his ground is his strength with this match up..should be fun to watch.
When does Renzo get his rematch?? I hope soon..cuz till the illegal knee Renzo was beating Frank.[/quote]
What fight were you watching there pal? All Renzo could do was land the takedown… and that was it. He couldn’t do anything once it went to the ground and was being dominated by Franks “legal” knees to the ribs. Even the judges had Frank ahead at the time of the DQ. How anyone thought Renzo was winning that fight is beyond me. There will be no rematch, Renzo isn’t foolish enough to get back in the cage with Frank, he was lucky enough to get his DQ win and thats it.
so Chung Lee who has made is name in mma off of cans will now be a can for Frank to kick around.what irony
[quote comment="269582"]Frank Shamrock should win here, tko’s cung lee and then tko’s ken Shamrock later in the year.[/quote]
Have you heard if that fight is legit or not. The last I read it was a hoax website saying that they were going to fight. I would like to know for sure if the battle of the Shamrocks is going down or not.
[quote comment="269695"][quote comment="269483"][quote comment="269460"]It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.[/quote]
Yes Sir…Chung Le is done. Frank’s MMA game is off the chain even though I’m a big Renzo fan..I don’t like Frank..but I respect his fight game..he simply destroyed Phil Baroni to win the eliteXc Title..if Frank takes it to the ground it will be a short night for Chung Le..I don’t see Frank risking in the striking realm with Le when his ground is his strength with this match up..should be fun to watch.
When does Renzo get his rematch?? I hope soon..cuz till the illegal knee Renzo was beating Frank.[/quote]
What fight were you watching there pal? All Renzo could do was land the takedown… and that was it. He couldn’t do anything once it went to the ground and was being dominated by Franks “legal” knees to the ribs. Even the judges had Frank ahead at the time of the DQ. How anyone thought Renzo was winning that fight is beyond me. There will be no rematch, Renzo isn’t foolish enough to get back in the cage with Frank, he was lucky enough to get his DQ win and thats it.[/quote]
You actually saw the same fight?? Renzo dominated Frank on the ground..Frank spent most of the first round on his back..he wasn`t going for submissions..and going into the second round till the 2 *illegal* knees to back of Renzo`s neck..cuz Frank knew what he did and just tried to play dumb in his post fight interview..Frank will look good against a Phil Baroni or a Chung Le..he was not winning that fight with Renzo..no sir..but you know..it don`t matter..it is what it is..a loss for Frank Shamrock due to DQ.
I know it’s very popular to down Cung Le but I think he will one day be considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world.
[quote comment="269742"][quote comment="269582"]Frank Shamrock should win here, tko’s cung lee and then tko’s ken Shamrock later in the year.[/quote]
Have you heard if that fight is legit or not. The last I read it was a hoax website saying that they were going to fight. I would like to know for sure if the battle of the Shamrocks is going down or not.[/quote]
I saw an interview with Ken and he said they’re trying to put the fight together. It should happen after the Frank/Le fight.
FJS should take this one. He’ll be bigger and stronger and will take this to the ground I’d imagine. Fantastic fight though.
[quote comment="269483"][quote comment="269460"]It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.[/quote]
Yes Sir…Chung Le is done. Frank’s MMA game is off the chain even though I’m a big Renzo fan..I don’t like Frank..but I respect his fight game..he simply destroyed Phil Baroni to win the eliteXc Title..if Frank takes it to the ground it will be a short night for Chung Le..I don’t see Frank risking in the striking realm with Le when his ground is his strength with this match up..should be fun to watch.
When does Renzo get his rematch?? I hope soon..cuz till the illegal knee Renzo was beating Frank.[/quote]
ur joking right?? Renzo had like 2 takedowns, thats it…no GNP..renzo wasnt transitioning positions…he wasnt attempting submissions…He was content to just sit there and lay n pray. Frank was out striking Renzo 4 to 1…he had ring control..was the much more aggressive fighter..landed multiple shots both standind and from his back…yea he threw 2 knees to the head…after delivering around 20 solid knees to the body from the ground. Renzo had no answer for Shamrock so when he got the takedowns he just layed there…and did absolutely nothing..how do you call that winning the fight?
cunt lee will get a beating
CUNG LE IS GONNNA LAY THE SMACKDOWN ON SHAMROCKS CANDYS ASS, BAY AREAAAA standup
I’ve seen Cung Lee fight but never in mma, its going to be interesting to see. I think Shamrock is going to win though. IMO
This looks to be a great match up on paper! I see the first round being the best as both fighters “feel” eachother out this will give Le the best opportunity to KO Shamrock. After that it’s going to be all Shamrock, he’s going to own this guy on the mat and that’s all she wrote.
The press conference afterward should be fun to watch, especially because Cung Le is such a cunning linguist!
[quote comment="269475"]Is this the same Cung Le from the movie Bloodsport?[/quote]
no his name was chung li played by an actor named bolo yeung a brilliant martial artist in his own right who has also starred in enter the dragon and double impact also with van damme amongst other films
imagine the other fight ….filho ,,,vs ,,,,anderson silva???and then these two…winner of both fights meet …..the spider takes it…..
[quote comment="269770"]I know it’s very popular to down Cung Le but I think he will one day be considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world.[/quote]
i hope you r right but i doubt it…not as long as the spiders here
[quote comment="269845"][quote comment="269483"][quote comment="269460"]It should be noted that the only loss of Shamrocks in his last 13 fights against Renzo Gracie was a DQ for an illegal knee to the head from the ground. He was on the bottom. It was very strange.
Shamrock will prove to be too much for Cung Le. Le’s only real hope is that Frank will stand and trade with him for long enough of a time for him to get the KO. But Frank isn’t stupid. He will put this inexperienced fighter on his back and finish the fight.[/quote]
Yes Sir…Chung Le is done. Frank’s MMA game is off the chain even though I’m a big Renzo fan..I don’t like Frank..but I respect his fight game..he simply destroyed Phil Baroni to win the eliteXc Title..if Frank takes it to the ground it will be a short night for Chung Le..I don’t see Frank risking in the striking realm with Le when his ground is his strength with this match up..should be fun to watch.
When does Renzo get his rematch?? I hope soon..cuz till the illegal knee Renzo was beating Frank.[/quote]
ur joking right?? Renzo had like 2 takedowns, thats it…no GNP..renzo wasnt transitioning positions…he wasnt attempting submissions…He was content to just sit there and lay n pray. Frank was out striking Renzo 4 to 1…he had ring control..was the much more aggressive fighter..landed multiple shots both standind and from his back…yea he threw 2 knees to the head…after delivering around 20 solid knees to the body from the ground. Renzo had no answer for Shamrock so when he got the takedowns he just layed there…and did absolutely nothing..how do you call that winning the fight?[/quote]
To not go back and forth. We will agree to disagree. Both Frank and Renzo fans want and should get a rematch in the near future.
[quote comment="269980"]CUNG LE IS GONNNA LAY THE SMACKDOWN ON SHAMROCKS CANDYS ASS, BAY AREAAAA standup[/quote]
Somebody smells what The Rock is cooking.
This is not the level this guy should be fighting, the same thing as Fedor. This is guy is still my favorite fighter and I know that that might not happen , but I’d love to see him fighting in the UFC and challenging Anderson for the title.That would be a great match people would pay for.Who will win this fight?Who knows?
[quote comment="269770"]I know it’s very popular to down Cung Le but I think he will one day be considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world.[/quote]
His ground game is way behind compared to the elites in the sport. He’s just a smaller, Asian version of Cheick Kongo.
I hope Le proves me wrong when I say he is slightly overrated, GOD I hate that Frank.
[quote comment="269483"]
When does Renzo get his rematch?? I hope soon..cuz till the illegal knee Renzo was beating Frank.[/quote]
And yet on all judges scorecards Frank was winning the fight.
don’t believe me? look it up.
Strike Force judges are more in line with Pride judges they dont just judge on the take down they judge on how effective your offense is (unlike UFC where they give massive points for takedowns alone) if you take a guy down and you do nothing to attempt to finish or inflict damage on your opponent you do not get points for that because they know that some fighters prefer to be on their backs and it would be unfair for them to give points to someone for taking down a guy who likes to fight from off his back.
Renzo was gassed and looked for a way out of that fight it was clear by how hard he was breathing during the time out when he was being given as long as he wanted to recover. his take downs were ineffective because he did nothing to inflict damage or attempt to end the fight after the take down. lay and pray doesn’t win in the post Arona/Wanderlie world.
[quote comment="269512"]However when it comes to striking, Cung Le is on a totally different level. He throws the craziest kicks in all of mma. A VERY unconventional striking style for mma.[/quote]
I agree. His style kind of reminds me of tradition point scoring Karate fighting competitions. Only he throws those kicks with power.
Franks a PUNK. He talks all the trash in the world about being the best fighter on the planet, but when was the lst time he faced a top 10 fighter? I cant even remeber! He is very talented but who knows how great he really is when he doesnt fight anybody. I love Renzo, but he is no anderson Silva or Dan Henderson. i would pay anything to see Cung Le boot Frank’s head into the nose bleed section!
So funny there are still fans of Frank out there. I don’t know why he would be dumb enough to take Cung Le’s fight challenge. Pride and money will end Frank’s career. He should have retired with both limbs intact.
Frank Shamrock is legendary. He will shock the world with his
amazing ground game. The ground game I’m referring to is him laying unconscious.
Frank is a decent fighter. His ‘99 win over Tito demands respect.
However, I would submit Frank in less than 2 minutes. His defense is, in a word, shaky. I am a little over 6 feet and 187 pounds. Bench 320 and have 16 inch guns. I demand respect from the guys I work out with. I am not the heaviest guy in the wrold but my power resembles that of a 220 pounder. That’s respect.
Its going to be a great Fight..
The KINK of San Jose.. Go Cung!!! Much respect to both fighters..
Cung kick him just under the right ear..
The King of San Jose Cung Le..
Man I hope Cung Le wins, even though I think Frank ultimately will win. Cung Le is the most entertaining striker I have seen, and I was excited when he entered MMA. He has excellent take downs, but I don’t think he has enough of a ground game to beat Shamrock. Frank is an ass though, even his fans have to admit that.
i like cung le, but this is ridiculous. frank is way more advanced and all he has to do is take cung down, and i honestly think alot of ppl are overlooking franks striking (whick, in my opinion, is better than le’s)