Quang Le is set to contend for a spot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), putting Brooklyn Center on the fight world map like never before. He will take his undefeated pro-record to Las Vegas next month.
The Vietnamese-born mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter is a three-year pro and has recently booked a ticket to fight in the Contender Series, a prominent event that sees up and coming fighters face off for Dana White, the CEO and president of the UFC. Part of the Contender Series appeal is that its top performers are often offered deals to sign with the UFC.
Le’s Contender Series fight is set for Sept. 17 and will see him face off with Aaron Tau in Las Vegas. Both fighters hold undefeated pro records. The two fighters are bantamweights. UFC rules dictate that bantamweights must weigh under 136 lbs. for a non-title fight and 135 lbs. for a title fight.
His career is closely tied to The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, often known simply as The Academy, a martial arts school in Brooklyn Center. The Academy is Le’s official gym and remains at the heart of his fight preparations. The school was founded by former University of Minnesota wrestler Greg Nelson in 1992. The gym relocated to its current Brooklyn Center location in 2003. The Academy has crossed paths with a number of other famous midwestern martial artists, including Brock Lesnar (South Dakota), Brock Larson (Brainerd), and Sean Sherk (St. Francis).
Nelson has also coached wrestling at Park Center High School and is currently an assistant coach for the program.
Le lives part-time in Brooklyn Center, but also maintains roots in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he moved to from Vietnam with his family in 2006. Le told Brooklyn Center and The Academy have been at the heart of his MMA journey.
“I knew if I wanted to go pro, I needed to go to a bigger gym,” he said. “That’s how I found the Academy. At first I only trained once or twice a week. For the last four years, I decided to commit 100% and that’s why I moved to Brooklyn Center.”
The quality at The Academy left an immediate impression on Le, who quickly saw he had made the right choice.
“When I started there, I was so impressed because they had so many good fighters. I knew I needed to train with these guys to fight at the highest level,” Le explained. “[Their help and support] is almost everything. Without them I don’t think I could have made it. Training with [John Castaneda and Greg Nelson] has been a blessing.”
His amateur career saw him go 7-3 in 10 fights from 2015 to 2020 with promotions like Victory One Championships and GAMMA. He turned pro the following year and has put together an impressive professional resume since 2021, going 7-0. All seven wins came in the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), a major MMA promotion based in Houston, Texas. The LFA maintains a relationship with the UFC and is often seen as a feeder league.
Le’s life in martial arts began with training in kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, before moving on to MMA. Two of his biggest inspirations are two Vietnamese-American former professional fighters, Cung Le and Thanh Le.
Now with a big opportunity to rise to the next level, Le is feeling both the pressure and excitement of the occasion.
“[This opportunity] feels great but also scary. This is the one shot for me and I have to get it. I’m 32, I’m not young. I’m happy for the opportunity but of course it’s a lot of pressure. This is everything for me.”
Le, often known as Quang “Bang”, has the stats to back the opportunity. According to popular MMA information site Tapology, Le is the #6 ranked bantamweight fighter in the midwest (out of 163), the #1 ranked bantamweight fighter in Minnesota (out of 12), and the #32 ranked bantamweight fighter in North America (out of 853).
That reputation will be important next month when Le enters the octagon. He explained that fighting well is as important as mathematical victories.
“I want the UFC to see I can put on exciting fights. I’m not going there to win by points and I know the UFC doesn’t want that either. They want people who can finish fights,” Le said. “For me, this opportunity isn’t just that I have to win, I have to finish my opponent to secure my contract. ... I’ve been pushing for the last couple weeks, but for the next seven weeks I am in camp and the intensity has to be pushed up just like I always do in my fight camps. ... I’ve been preparing for this fight since I began. I’ve imagined this moment for four years.”
Dana White’s Contender Series can be streamed on ESPN+. Future updates in the UFC can be found at UFC.com .
Note: After this edition and story went to press, Quang Le accepted a last-minute opportunity to fight in the UFC proper. He has been signed to the UFC and will face instead face Chris Gutierrez in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night on Aug. 10. Gutierrez is a 20-6-2 UFC veteran.
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