Channing Tatum’s MMA Passion and Cung Le’s “Tekken”-Inspired Fighting Style

Channing Tatum`s deep affection for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) traces back to his high school days, where he and his friends eagerly shared early UFC fight tapes. The acclaimed star of “21 Jump Street” and “Magic Mike” has long been an ardent enthusiast of combat sports.

Before taking on the role of Gambit in Marvel`s upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine film, Tatum collaborated with MMA fighter Cung Le in the 2009 movie “Fighting.” Years later, Tatum became a spectator at Le`s UFC bouts, remarking that Le`s fighting style vividly recalled moves typically seen in video games.

Cung Le`s “Tekken”-Like Moves Impressed Channing Tatum

During an appearance on Ariel Helwani`s show, the host relayed a comment from Le, suggesting Tatum could have pursued a successful fighting career if he chose. Tatum humbly dismissed the notion, adding, “Cung’s hilarious. I love him.” He fondly recalled their time together on the set of “Fighting” and how they remained friends.

Tatum elaborated on his lifelong passion for fighting:

“I’ve always loved fighting, and I remember passing around tapes in high school of the early UFC days. The tape would literally just go around the entire school.”

He continued, praising Le`s electrifying performances:

“And so I’ve just been a fan of this thing, and Cung was such an exciting fighter. I mean, he was pulling moves that you only do in video games, even when he was in Strikeforce… He was doing things that you literally were like, that only is in Tekken,”

Tatum stated, referring to the iconic video game series.

“It’s crazy…”

Cung Le boasted an impressive 7-1 record in Strikeforce before concluding his UFC career with a 2-2 standing. A former Strikeforce and Sanda champion, Le secured all but one of his professional victories via knockout or TKO.

Cung Le Portrayed Marshall Law in the Live-Action `Tekken` Film

Perhaps it was this distinctive, video-game-esque fighting approach that paved the way for Le`s casting in the 2010 live-action “Tekken” movie. In the film, Le embodied the popular character Marshall Law. While many video game adaptations often fail to gain widespread acclaim, “Tekken” earned recognition for its accurate portrayal of characters and costumes, closely mirroring those from the original game. Le notably sported one of Law`s signature looks during his on-screen battle against protagonist Jin Kazama, played by Jon Foo.

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