Sherdog’s Top 10: Strongest Kickers

Cung Le frequents MMA highlight reels. | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com

6. Cung Le

There is no better way to validate a fighter’s inclusion on this list than pointing out his kickboxing record. Le fought 17 times and never lost before making the leap from kickboxing to MMA, where he won the Strikeforce middleweight championship. Of Le’s 12 knockout victories, half have come by way of kicks.

Le has transitioned quite well into the world of MMA, but with the high volume of kicks he throws -- and the wide array of defensive tactics required in MMA -- his suspect cardio has bitten him more than once. The former sanshou champion perfected the sidekick, using the move to avoid a shooting grappler. The Vietnamese superstar remains one of the most technical kickers in the sport, although he has not been seen since 2012, when he dispatched onetime middleweight titleholder Rich Franklin at UFC on Fuel TV 6.

The MMA world will get a chance to see if the 42-year-old Le can still use kicks to his advantage when he makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night event on Aug. 23.

Number 5 » Lyoto Machida