Originally Posted by
MysticNinjaJay
Me too. But I think it is a long way off. Shamrock needs knee surgery which should put him out of action for several months and then he wants a rematch with Renzo.
In the meantime I would like to see Cung face a higher calibur of competition. Not because I don't think he is ready for Shamrock but to boost his status as a fighter.
Fryklund to Shamrock is a big jump and it does not make sense for Cung to fight someone like Shamrock that early in his career without a buildup. If he wins great but if he loses what does that do for his career? What does it do for Shamrock's? He will look like he was in over his head and Shamrock will have beaten a fighter in the infancy of his career who has never risen above C - Level competition in MMA.
I'd like to see him fight Ninja Rua first and Frank test himself against a top 10 MW like Denis Kang before having a super fight with Cung Le. The fight will sell, they just need to make it more worthwhile.
It's a money fight in San Jose, for sure. I don't know how well it'll do elsewhere. I'd also both like to see this fight and think they're better off holding back for a while. I've been very impressed with Le's approach to his MMA career. He's building up slowly, working his way to steadily better and better opposition while maintaining his marketability. Very smart. His next step might (should?) be to fight a guy on about Fryklund's level who's more of a grappler, to test himself against that style as opposed to another brawler. Kalib Starnes, or someone similar, would be a good pick. Then a genuine top ten guy with some name value, though probably another brawler type. Robbie Lawler or Phil Baroni, maybe.
Frank needs to heal up. Much as I'd like to see it, there's no way he's going anywhere near Rua. Too much risk for too little reward. He'll take some time off, get in his Gracie rematch and a tune-up fight, and then look to fight Le in what they hope is a money match. To make sure, both guys are going to play it pretty safe til then.
"My only 'aesthetic' is to be the guy who's NOT lying down on the ground broken." - WaterDragon