Cung Le failed to register a single fight during 2013. It was the first time since making his professional debut in 2006 that he went a full calendar year without competing in mixed martial arts. The former Strikeforce middleweight champion does not intend to let 2014 pass without stepping into the Octagon.

Le made his UFC debut in 2011, losing to Wanderlei Silva by TKO in a contest that garnered Fight of the Night honors. Le followed that up with a decision win over Patrick Cote and most recently a November 2012 Knockout of the Night victory over former UFC champion Rich Franklin.

Elbow injuries and filming a movie kept Le away from the fight game for the early part of 2013. When he was ready to start talking to the UFC about his next fight, UFC president Dana White asked Le for a favor.

Le spoke about that topic during a Q & A session before Friday's weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night 34 in Singapore, "Before I got to be part of The Ultimate Fighter: China we were in talks to fight Michael Bisping and Dana flew me out and told me ‘Hey, I need you to be the mentor, coach and be me in China for this show,' and that was a great opportunity. Hopefully, after this media tour I'm going to get back in the gym and train like a fighter, and see where I'm at."

Le promised that he would be back inside the Octagon in the coming year. He also promised that when he does step back inside the cage fans will see the Sanshou based fighting style that has made him so popular, "I plan to be back this year, 2014. I'm going to come back and throw my spinning wheel kicks and spinning back kicks and get them throws back on the map again. Don't worry, I'm going to be back."

When he does return, Le, like many other middleweights, would be very interested in fighting Bisping, "I would love to fight Michael Bisping. He likes to bring the fight. He comes to fight, I come to fight, and I think that would be a great fight for the fans. That would be top on the list."