Cung Le: For fighters, MMA is ‘not a great sport’, ‘not a good business right now’

This has been a very busy summer for the UFC and MMA, more so outside the cage than in it. Long time owners Zuffa have sold the promotion for an eye-popping $4 billion to a group led by WME/IMG. Top stars Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones, and Chad Mendes have all ran afoul of the company’s USADA run drug testing policy and have been or are looking at suspensions of two years in length. Congressman Markwayne Mullin has introduced the Muhammad Ali Expansion Act in Congress to expand the protections of the Muhammad Ali Reform Boxing Act to MMA and other combat sports. And more and more fighters are openly calling for the organization of a fighters association, most recently and most vocally Jose Aldo and Mark Hunt.

One person with a strong opinion and personal connection to all of these issues is Cung Le. The former UFC fighter hasn’t fought since he tested for elevated hGH levels back in 2014, the result of a test that had been so poorly conducted that some believe it led to the UFC contracting USADA. Since then, he has continued to be active in MMA, albeit not by fighting. He was one of the three original plaintiffs in the class action antitrust lawsuit filed against the UFC that continues to proceed through discovery. He is also a member of the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association and has been a vocal proponent of extending the Muhammad Ali Reform Boxing Act to MMA.

Recently I spoke to Le about the many issues currently facing MMA, what he would like to see changed, and if he plans to ever return to the cage.

First off, I heard that the UFC released you from your contract and you’re a free agent now. Is that true?

Yes, I am free agent now. It’s a long story. It’s been over a year but I have a good team and my wife helped me out with a lot of stuff.

It took a year when I should have been fighting but since they had me under contract I could only fight for them. But after what happened – with what they accused me of – they didn’t give me an apology or clear my name. I wasn’t going to [return to fight] for them, But it’s crazy how they can lock you down.

I still get a lot of stupid comments.  It’s been difficult dealing with, being held under a contract that if we had the Ali Act never would have happened.

To be clear this is your fight contract they released you from, right? They gave you the right to do promotional appearances with Bellator before.

Yes. I got to do a few appearances with Bellator.

I have to thank my wife Suzanne Le for that. And more. She wrote [the UFC] several good letters. She has been my support and backbone through this. Also she was raised by a lawyer and was instrumental in so many ways – like me being able to work for Bellator.

Were you surprised they released you? Looking back in the past they’ve kept the contractual rights to other fighters much longer. I’m thinking Randy Couture and Heath Herring, who left the UFC but they claimed promotional rights over them for years afterwards.

I think I also got a little help when Congressman Mullin did interviews and – he didn’t mention my name – mentioned how they were mistreating some of the fighters. I think that helped.

So now that you have your full release do you plan to keep fighting?

I don’t know right now. It’s been awhile since my last fight. Almost 2 years. Before I would take a year, 18 months off but when you’re working on a film you’re not training like a real fighter. It’s like another career. I’m very happy acting but it is something I always think about, that maybe if I focused more on fighting I would have got a lot better. But then what do you do after? You don’t make enough fighting to take care of the rest of your life. You have to think about what you’ll do afterwards.

So when a great opportunity came up and I got a chance to break into the Chinese market [with acting] I took it. And my film career worked out great for the UFC. Our first press conference, for the Rich Franklin fight, people knew me from my fight scene with Donnie Yen. It helped out when it came to having TUF on TV in China. The press knew who I was. They were interested in me there. More than if I had been only some UFC fighter.

They knew it too. I was originally in talks to fight Michael Bisping in Manchester and Dana said I need you in China. And when Dana says he needs you in China that means you got to go or you’re not being a company man.

So you don’t get a choice in the matter? It’s not something you get to negotiate on?

I didn’t get a chance to negotiate. They tell you this is what [your pay is] going to be for doing the show. When I call them about what I can do for the UFC they answer the phone. But if you need something they don’t answer. They don’t call you back.

At this time my wife was in the hospital. Two days before I left she had surgery. So I’m calling them asking for another week and no call back. Nothing. And then my wife told me to go, that she’d be fine. And she spent another week in the hospital after I left. And then when I get there they’re not ready. “Oh, your wife is in the hospital? You should have taken another week.” You could have told me that before I got on the plane.

It all goes back to the contracts. The contract you sign …

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