No not because he lost, but how he lost. I always looked at Frank as the smartest fighter out there. For him to go into a fight like this and fight with that game plan does not show any smarts at all.
He's very smart but a big ego can be one's biggest enemy. He's so full of himself that he feels no need to have to prove himself to anyone.
I agree with sage 100%. Karma is a bitch isnt it?
Who knows if it would have worked,I think he could have knocked lee out in the 4th or 5th.
"Who knows if it would have worked,I think he could have knocked lee out in the 4th or 5th"
haha... go back and edit that before someone sees it. If Frank would have come out in the 4th he would have been KO'ed.
He had some nice elbows and knees from the clinch. Cung could be in trouble against a real MT fighter.
he didn't stay on the feet because he wanted to... he stayed on the feet because he had no choice. he said prior to the fight that his takedown shots don't work because of his blown out knee. he went for the takedown in the first couple minutes of the fight and was unsuccessful. after that i think he gave it up because he knew it was only wasting his energy. and when he fell to the ground, he motioned for cung to join him down there. cung said no so frank had to stand back up. so clearly he wanted to fight on the ground, but couldn't.
"I always looked at Frank as the smartest fighter out there. For him to go into a fight like this and fight with that game plan does not show any smarts at all."
Think about this from Frank's standpoint. He brought a strategy that was incredibly exciting and pleasing to fans. This is only a good thing for him. People will want to see him again, more than ever. I'm VERY interested in seeing a rematch.
Plus, had he not broken his arm, he had a solid chance of winning that fight anyway - and doing it in very exciting fashion, which is what draws fans and makes him a bigger name.
You cannot watch that fight and not sense that Frank was stalking Le by the end of the 3rd round and starting to zero in on him. The momentum was shifting to Frank and he was opening up more with the striking and hurting Le. It was clear that he had the power to hurt and possibly take Le out. But he broke his arm and wasn't able to finish it. Shit happens.
This was not a bad move by Frank.
"and when he fell to the ground, he motioned for cung to join him down there. cung said no so frank had to stand back up. so clearly he wanted to fight on the ground, but couldn't."
--No, Frank was fucking around with Cung Le because he knew there was no way Cung Le wanted to be on the ground with him. Frank's smile, the way he motioned to Cung Le, and the expression on Frank's face all said "Hey, I'm already on the ground, want to try me on the mat? Yea, I knew you didn't."
Plus Frank has a HUGE ego and he said he was going to stand and bang with Cung Le and not take him to the ground. After saying he wouldn't take it to the ground and that he would be Cung Le at his own game, there's no way Frank's ego would let him take it to the ground.
So I don't know why you think Frank "clearly" wanted to fight on the ground. I thought Frank "clearly" wanted to do exactly what he said he was going to do, even if it cost him the fight.
"he broke the arm mid 3rd round, not at the end,"
It looked like it was at the end to me. Immediately before Cung started tagging him at the very end of the round, Frank threw two big rights and a knee; Cung threw a kick that landed right on Frank's wrist; Frank shook his hand out and stepped back, and that was when his defense went out the window and Cung (for the first time in the fight) put him in trouble before the horn.
Up until that point, Cung obviously landed many more strikes, but I think Frank landed the harder strikes and certainly had Cung in trouble on at least two occasions.
"It looked like it was at the end to me. Immediately before Cung started tagging him at the very end of the round, Frank threw two big rights and a knee; Cung threw a kick that landed right on Frank's wrist; Frank shook his hand out and stepped back, and that was when his defense went out the window and Cung (for the first time in the fight) put him in trouble before the horn."
Watch it again. At about the 1:15 mark into the 3rd round, Cung hits Frank's right arm with a kick that really seems to sting Frank. Then Goldberg starts commenting on how swollen his arm looks.
The kick at the end when Frank shook his paw was the icing on the cake.
No one's standing got hurt in that fight. Frank was gaining momentum and got injured. Le proved he was very real.
ttt