After taking a few months to think about it Cung Le has officially announced that he is retiring from mixed martial arts competition.
Technically the 42 year-old had still been signed to the UFC, but it was clear his time there was finished after he fronted an ongoing class action lawsuit against the promotion which claims that Zuffa are essentially running a monopoly which restricts fighters opportunities and ability to earn money.
Le was also angry with the UFC for dragging his name through the mud last year when they suspended him for testing positive for HGH following a TKO loss to Michael Bisping in China, only to then retract the suspension after admitting their testing procedure had been flawed.
In total Le compiled a 2-2 record inside the Octagon and prior to that had been a star in the Strikeforce promotion where he had briefly held their middleweight title before vacating it in order to have more opportunities to pursue his acting career.
In total Le hangs up his gloves with a 9-3 record in mixed martial arts.
Read Le’s full retirement statement below.
“After several months of thought and discussion with bmy wife and family we realize our future includes many things, but active competition in mixed martial arts is no longer one of them therefore I am officially announcing my retirement from active competition. Fighting will never be far from my heart and martial arts will always continue to be a part of my daily life. I have thoroughly enjoyed the career that I have been blessed with due in large part to all my fans and the many people who have helped me on my journey.
I want to personally thank my wife, Suzanne, my three Little Ninjas, my Mother, Sister and the rest of my incredible family for their support, prayers and inspiration. I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank Scott Coker for his long-time friendship and support of my career, Gary Ibarra for your tenacity, to Khoa Do for everything, Scott Sheeley, you know, and to Jane Estioko, thank you for your loyalty. I’d also like to thank all of my past and present USH Team Family members, I am grateful for every round.
I’d like to recognize the UFC for the opportunity they have provided me, the sport of mixed martial arts, and more importantly the fans who love it, you will never be far from my heart. It has truly been my honor and my privilege to entertain you.”
It’s interesting that Le does tip his hat to the UFC despite their ongoing legal issues and it should be noted that UFC head honcho’s Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta have responded in kind.
“Cung Le was awesome and would take any fight,” White stated on UFC.com. “He was such a huge piece of the success of ‘The Ultimate Fighter: China.’ I loved working with him and wish him well in the future.”
“Cung Le was a great ambassador of the sport for us in Asia and one of the most exciting middleweights to step foot in the octagon,” Fertitta said. “We wish him well in his retirement and future endeavors.”
