MMA-URLS

Duane “Bang” Ludwig is just like you, with one exception: he’s a world renowned kickboxer and mixed martial artist.The Denver, Colorado native is a husband, a father, a small business owner (303 Training Center in Westminster, CO), and simply a guy who wants to own a house. On the other hand, he is also the proud owner of the fastest knockout in UFC history, but that title nor the litany of Muay Thai belts that he refers to as “closet stuffers” have not altered the down-to-Earth individual he is outside of the cage, regardless of how popular he is in it.“I still have a mortgage and car payments,” tells Ludwig. “I still live fight to fight. It's not like I'm anything different. People who get popular in the UFC and change when they get famous, I'm not famous, but there are people who change when they get more popular, per se. Maybe it's because they're a fake person and they're allowing other people’s vision to change them. Maybe I would change if I was given a million dollars, but I would doubt it. I am the same person I have always been. I sell more shirts, I sell more shorts, I have more students at the gym, I get more interview questions, and I guess it's just a busier lifestyle than what it's been. But it's fun. Being more popular, I'm able to connect with more people and help out a lot more people, which is nice. I like to help out people and help out animals. It's not about collecting more dollars and being the ‘man’. It's about connecting with more people and spreading the martial arts knowledge and I'm happy the more I can do that.”The 33-year old Ludwig has spent over half his life in pursuit of martial arts excellence. At 15, he began training Muay Thai as his passion, with expectations of being an electrician as his job. After tearing through the amateur circuit, Ludwig became a professional kickboxer and cagefighter in 2000 and hasn’t looked back ever since. 12 years later, he has traded fists and feet around the world with the best fighters both sports have to offer, is raising a family, aspires to open an animal rescue, and is having a blast competing with the razor sharp talent of the UFC welterweight division. “My motivation has always been that I'm a natural fighter, I love to fight, and I love to train,” says Ludwig. “Things have changed now because I know my athletic performances in the cage directly affect my financial responsibilities, so that is a pressure that sometimes has hurt me and sometimes has helped me. But I try not to let that distract me. At the gym, I still have to train to get better and go out there and fight and have fun. It's about exploring yourself and the self-development of who you are and your dream. There's a win bonus and I have a family and that's all a reality, but, at the end of the day, I have to go out there and have fun. I'm a husband and father first before I'm a fighter, but I definitely love to fight and it's fun for me. I'd rather help somebody than punch somebody, but I don't mind punching somebody either.”The last person fight fans saw “Bang” sock in the kisser was the granite chinned Josh “The Dentist” Neer in the co-main event at UFC on FX in January. “I definitely felt good and definitely felt that I was getting the better of everything because I was,” remembers Ludwig, who landed shots at will before Neer scored a takedown and, shortly thereafter, a guillotine choke. Neer caught Ludwig’s exposed neck in the fight ending submission as he was pushing his way back to standing. “He got the takedown too easy. Looking back, I wish I had sat back and waited for the referee to separate us. I was too eager to fight; I'm too impatient when I fight.”The first round loss is Ludwig’s first at 170 pounds in the UFC following two exciting decision wins over The Ultimate Fighter alum Nick Osipczak and season 7 winner Amir Sadollah. With an overall record of 29-12, “Bang” has appeared physically at his best in these past three performances, looking faster, stronger, and more dangerous than he has in years. “It's definitely great focusing on training to be a martial artist and not just cutting weight,” says Ludwig, who walks around at 190 pounds and used to stubbornly cut down to 155 pounds for lightweight. On Memorial Day weekend at UFC 146, the next challenger for Ludwig is a showdown with British slugger Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy, which has the proverbial “guaranteed fireworks” written all over it. “He's a really good opponent and always comes to fight,” asserts Ludwig, who isn’t underestimating the heavy-handed Hardy because of his recent four fight losing streak. “The whole win/loss ratio is idiotic as long as you come to fight, case in point with Dan Hardy. They want you to put on a good show and that's what he comes to do and that's what I always come to do. Of course, everyone wants a winner, but you want good shows and we put on good shows.”On paper, this is a matchup between standup fighters with a prodigious amount of KO/TKO victories to their name. Although true, that rough estimation severely undercuts Ludwig’s elite level kickboxing experience, which he has honed, as mentioned, for more than half his life. “Bang” didn’t win the I.S.K.A. World Title from Mongkhon Wiwasuk because he likes to grip and rip punches; Ludwig won because he’s a great and technical kickboxer. It’s a distinction that was quite evident in Ludwig’s outclassing of Sadollah last August, and he anticipates a similar result against Hardy if the fight stays on the feet. “I'm a striker,” affirms Ludwig. “I'm one of the best strikers in all of MMA. I'm a very good striker in the striking world. I did K-1. I think overall if you matched me against not just mixed martial arts strikers, strikers in general, I would grade myself as a B+, A- of the best. That's against the best like K-1 Max level guys. Anything can happen and I am a mixed martial artist and not just a striker. If it goes to the ground, I will be prepared. I do a lot of wrestling, a lot of jiu-jitsu. It's in my blood to stand up and fight, so I prefer that. We'll see what happens when the bell rings. I feel superior to most guys in striking, but Dan can take a shot and he can chuck some bombs, so I have to be alert and be on my game for sure. I'm just naturally fast and I hit hard. I've been doing this for a while, so you can see what's going on before, during, and after shots to see if there are any openings going on in there. I am good at reading telegraphic keys is what I call them - I have good ‘counter eyes’. There are mistakes done before, after, and during shots and I can pick them up. I felt that in the Sadollah fight and I think I will feel that again in the Hardy fight.”In preparation for his bout with his 23-10 (1 NC) opponent, Ludwig splits his training between two gyms: his own and Grudge Training Center. At the latter, “Bang” works with gym owner, operator, and boxing coach turned MMA coach Trevor Wittman while sharing mat time with MMA notables like Nate Marquardt and Brendan Schaub. At his own gym, Ludwig brings in Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, solid wrestlers, and has the personnel who can help keep his striking tight. No matter where he trains, Ludwig has himself, who he’s relied on most to cull his own talent by his own instincts as a fighter. “I have to give myself the most credit in being able to just see these things,” explains Ludwig. “It's just naturally been in me and been a part of me of being able to see shots, shots coming. I do have specific drills that I do to kind of slow things down visually and read the telegraphic keys. I would say 80% of this has been self taught from watching videos and doing what I feel like I should do. I have learned quite a bit from Trevor Wittman and I have learned quite a bit from Bas Rutten. I have been able to pick things up and pick and choose things and that's how my fight game has evolved. I have adapted my own style or created my own style from that, so that's been good instead of having someone tell me what I should or shouldn't do. I just go by feeling and who I truly am instead of having someone tell me what I am. I go by what I feel, which is more natural.”On May 26th in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, two MMA welterweights will collide inside the Octagon, but everyone watching will have their fingers crossed that “Bang” and “The Outlaw” keep it standing and just throw. “I think I'm better at wrestling and jiu-jitsu than him, but when that bell rings and I get hit, I bite the end of my mouthpiece and I chuck bombs - that's just what I do,” states Ludwig, who remains true to himself as a fighter in the cage or ring, and as a nice guy outside of it. In conclusion, “Bang” is a typical family man trying to make ends meet seeing the shots coming and firing back with a mean counterpunch. Sort of like all of us.

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Duane 'Bang' Ludwig is pretty stoked about earning a place in the UFC history books with his '4 second' KO of Jonathan Goulet back in January of 2006. He's stoked because he's got a 'cool story to tell his grandkids' one day. Duane is going to be one of those Grandpas with all the cool stories...and some horrifying stories as well. Older people always get their jollies off  telling young people horror stories about how hard their life was or by sharing some outlandish tragic event that they were able to overcome. Increased sadism must be something that comes with aging. Men it seems, like to share horrible groin area injury stories. As a woman, I can't completely relate to the emotions a horrifying scrotum injury story creates within a man. All I can do is compare it to the stories I heard while I was pregnant from women who have already been through the experience of giving birth. I remember all the ladies from my office gathered around my desk like it was a campfire and it was time to tell scary ghost stories. Their faces were plastered with big evil smiles and they would cackle like witches while they told their panic inducing stories of forceps, giant snipping shears and tearing flesh. I can't even think of those stories now without breaking into a cold sweat and feeling faint. I've got to go get some air and splash some water on my face just from revisiting thoughts of those stories. While I do that get ready for your own cringe inducing moments by watching Duane Ludwig tell you a fun little horrific injury story in this interview with cagefanatic.com: 

Posted in: injury, story, duane, ludwig, injury story

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With four straight losses, former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy is in desperate need of a victory. He'll go after it May 26 at UFC 146 against Duane Ludwig.

Posted in: ufc, dan, las vegas, ludwig, victory hell

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Dan Hardy will finally get to compete against someone who needs to keep a fight on the feet as much as he does, as this morning "The Outlaw" tweeted that he would be fighting Duane "Bang" Ludwig at UFC 146 coming up at the end of May. After winning his first four UFC fights and earning a shot at the title against Georges St. Pierre, Hardy has had a tough go, losing the title fight and his following three bouts. His most recent loss was a submission defeat to Chris Lytle at UFC on Versus 5. He is 4-4 in the UFC. Ludwig is 3-1 in the UFC's welterweight division, having his only loss come in his last time out against Josh Neer at UFC on FX 1. Hardy didn't look great on the feet against Lytle before he was submitted, so the jury is out as to how he'll do against a more experienced and dynamic striker in Ludwig. I wouldn't even be surprised to see Hardy look to get the fight to the mat on his terms in this fight. Dan Hardy is the 30th ranked welterweight in the world. He fights out of Team Rough House.Duane Ludwig is unranked. He fights out of the Grudge training center. My early pick for this fight is Hardy by decision.

Posted in: ufc, fight, dan, ludwig, ufc ludwig

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There’s gonna be a whole lot of standing and banging going on at UFC 146. Before Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem stand toe-to-toe in the main event, Dan Hardy and Duane Ludwig will bang it out in what is sure to be a thrilling stand-up war. The UFC confirmed the match-up earlier today. It’s an important fight for Ludwig. He’s coming off a loss to Josh Neer and no fighter wants to be on a two-fight skid in the UFC. Picking up a win may be important for Ludwig, but it’s nowhere near as critical for him as it is for Hardy. He’s on a four-fight skid and pretty much only has his job because UFC brass likes his style and warrior spirit. That will only take him so far though. He needs a win and needs it bad. Perhaps more so than anyone else in the UFC. Image via Dave Mandel for Sherdog

Posted in: ufc, josh neer, ludwig, duane ludwig, fourfight skid

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In a match-up that's probably not going to showcase any displays of grappling wizardry, welterweight sluggers, Dan Hardy and Duane Ludwig, have agreed to face off in Las Vegas on May 26th at UFC 146, according to MMA Weekly, who confirmed the booking with UFC officials: Dan Hardy will return to action at UFC 146 in May where he will face fellow striker Duane "Bang" Ludwig. UFC officials confirmed verbal agreements are in place for the welterweight showdown. This might be Hardy's last chance to keep his spot on the UFC roster, although it has appeared that he's been in that position in the past, only to keep his job after putting on exciting fights, even during his current four-fight losing streak, which is usually more than enough to get a fighter booted from the promotion. Hardy has revamped his training though, electing to leave his native England to prepare full-time in Las Vegas and taking an extended layoff after his loss to Chris Lytle last August to get fully focused before this next fight. Ludwig, a longtime veteran of the sport, seemed to be enjoying a career resurgence with back-to-back wins over young prospects, Nick Osipczak and Amir Sadollah, but like Hardy against Lytle, his weakness on the ground caught up to him against fellow journeyman, Josh Neer, and Ludwig ended up getting choked out back in January. Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy (23-10)L Chris Lytle (submission) - UFC on Versus 5L Anthony Johnson (unam. decision) - UFN 23L Carlos Condit (KO) - UFC 120 Duane "Bang" Ludwig (21-12)L Josh Neer (technical submission) - UFC on FX 1W Amir Sadollah (unam. decision) - UFC on Versus 5W Nick Osipczak (split decision) - UFC 122 The UFC 146 card now includes: -Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem - UFC heavyweight championship-Evan Dunham vs. Edson Barboza-Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway-Jacob Volkmann vs. Paul Sass-Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig UFC 146 coverage

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In what will more than likely be a standup fight, Duane "Bang" Ludwig is slated to meet Dan Hardy at UFC 146 on May 26 in Las Vegas, the UFC confirmed Wednesday.Two welterweights with weaknesses on the floor and a strong preference to keep the fight standing, Ludwig and Hardy are both looking to get back on the winning track after coming off submission losses to Josh Neer and Chris Lytle, respectively. Ludwig was recently seen in a loss to Neer by guillotine choke at the UFC on FX event on Jan. 20, putting a stop to Ludwig's momentum after two straight wins and the recognition of holding the UFC's fastest knockout. Hardy has not won a fight since November 2009 and is riding a four-fight losing streak. Despite the skid, he's kept his job due to his gameness as a fighter. UFC 146 will likely be headlined by a heavyweight title bout between champion Junior dos Santos and challenger Alistair Overeem.

Posted in: ufc, fight, josh neer, ludwig, submission losses

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Amidst a four fight loss streak, Dan Hardy is ready to return to the win column. He now knows who he’ll be returning to the Octagon with, as Hardy is now set to take on Duane “Bang” Ludwig at UFC 146. The event is expected to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 26th. Hardy (23-10-1) last fought at UFC on Versus 5 in August, losing to Chris Lytle late in the third round via submission. This extended his losing streak to four, which dates back to a loss to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 in March 2010. His last victory came against Mike Swick at UFC 105 in November 2009. While many fighters are let go after three consecutive losses, Hardy has been able to survive four consecutive losses due to a very important fan. Following his loss to Lytle, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta was quoted as saying “I ain’t cutting Dan Hardy. I love guys that go out there and have incredible heart, as well as great wars, fight-after-fight!” Ludwig (21-12) has had a bittersweet start to 2012. While he was acknowledged by the UFC for officially having the quickest knockout in the organization’s history (his 6 second KO of Jonathan Goulet in January 2006), Ludwig was defeated by Josh Neer at UFC on FX 1 just days after the announcement. Ludwig returned to the welterweight division in late 2010 after fighting almost exclusively at lightweight over the previous four years. He has gone 2-1 since his return to 170 pounds, with wins over Nick Osipczack and Amir Sadollah, and the loss to Neer. UFC 146 is expected to be headlined by a UFC heavyweight championship matchup between champion Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem. Other announced matchups include Jason “Mayhem” Miller taking on C.B. Dollaway and Evan Dunham facing off against Edson Barboza. For complete coverage of UFC 146, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, loss, dan, ludwig, nick osipczack

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A guaranteed stand-up war with career implications for both participants has been named for the UFC 146 lineup in the form of a bout between Dan Hardy-Duane Ludwig. Both welterweights are coming off submission losses and hold losing records over their past five fights. The UFC confirmed the clash earlier today. Hardy has been out of action since enduring his fourth straight stumble this past August when he was choked out by Chris Lytle at UFC Live 5. Prior to the defeat the 29-year old Brit had fallen to Anthony Johnson, Carlos Condit, and Georges St. Pierre. However, Hardy is only a few years removed from being a title-contender and holds a 23-10 record including victories over Akihiro Gono, Marcus Davis, and Mike Swick. While the 21-12 Ludwig has found more success than Hardy as of late, “Bang” wasn’t so lucky against Josh Neer in January where his hopes of a three-fight streak in the right direction were laid to waste. Still, Ludwig remains a threat regardless of the situation, as sixteen of his wins have featured some form of finish. The May 26 card is expected to feature a headlining bout between heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem with other announced match-ups including Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway and Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, heavyweight champ, ludwig, submission losses, career implications

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Two of the welterweight division’s most entertaining fighters have been signed to fight UFC 146 with the added caveat of each needing a win to cement his spot on the roster. According to the UFC, Dan Hardy and Duane Ludwig will face off on May 26 as part of the organization’s annual Memorial Day Weekend event. Both men have eleven TKOs to their credit and are known for their fan-friendly, strike-heavy style. Ludwig is coming off a loss to Josh Neer where he fought valiantly but was submitted in the end. Prior to the defeat he’d won in back-to-back contests against Nick Osipczak and Amir Sadollah. The 21-12 kickboxer also holds past victories over Jonathan Goulet, Jens Pulver, and Yves Edwards, as well as the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history. While Hardy is currently at a low point in his career, losing four straight, “The Outlaw” has made a reputation for himself as a competitor who always comes to fight and cares more about entertaining the public than padding his record with easy wins. The 29-year old has found success in 23 of 33 total fights with notable showings against Marcus Davis and Mike Swick. Hardy Taking Comeback One Day at a Time No headliner has been named to the show though it is expected to host a heavyweight title-fight between champion Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, organization ’s, mike swick, ludwig, duane ludwig

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is giving British bomb-dropper Dan Hardy a chance to snap a four-fight losing streak by pairing him up against Duane Ludwig for the upcoming UFC 146 event, tentatively scheduled for May 26, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC officials (via ESPN.co.uk) brought word of the pending bout earlier today. Hardy, who managed to fight his way into a welterweight title bout against division champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 back in March 2010, failed to recover from that unanimous decision loss and went on to drop his following three contests, including a submission defeat to longtime veteran Chris Lytle last August. Following the loss, fans expected "The Outlaw" to leave town for good; however, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta declared that Hardy was here to stay and would live to see another day inside the Octagon. Enter Ludwig. The Coloradan was recently able to get himself recognized as the record holder for fastest knockout in the UFC. Unfortunately the accolades did him little good against Josh Neer, who choked him out at UFC on FX just last month. His loss to "The Dentist" snapped a two-fight win streak. UFC 146 is expected to be headlined by the biggest fight of the year (literally), when heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos puts his strap on the line for the very first time against division number one contender and famed Dutch striker Alistair Overeem. Middleweight TUF guy Jason Miller is also back in action taking on the venerable C.B. Dollaway while Edson Barboza goes to war against Evan Dunham. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates to this still-developing fight card.

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The Outlaw is back. Dan Hardy will return to action at UFC 146 in May where he will face fellow striker Duane 'Bang' Ludwig.

Posted in: ufc, dan, bang, duane, ludwig

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One of the most underrated finishers in MMA is Josh Neer, a fan-favorite amongst the hardcore group of enthusiasts who picked up a win this past Friday night at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller after choking out Duane Ludwig in the opening round of their bout. The submission was the twelfth of the 33-10-1 Neer’s career. It was also the 29th time he’d finished a foe including his last nine wins. Neer’s propensity for putting opponents away stems from his forward-first approach to fighting, an attitude kicked into high gear based on a sense of urgency after suffering a cut in the early stages of his match-up with Ludwig. “I knew when I was on top and I’d seen the blood start to trickle down, I didn’t know how bad my cut was and I was just like, ‘Oh, I’ve gotta finish this quick,’ so he kind of scrambled, I saw his neck and just jumped to the Guillotine,” Neer explained to UFC cameras shortly after the win. “He’s definitely the hardest puncher I’ve ever fought.” The 28-year old, currently on a six-fight winning streak, also provided a little insight on having spent some time with similarly-programmed fighters Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz while preparing for the bout. Check out the video below:

Posted in: diaz, neer, ludwig, duane ludwig, bout check

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He’s fought Melvin Guillard, Eddie Alvarez, and both Diaz brothers. However, according to seasoned veteran Josh Neer, none of the aforementioned lot pack the power he faced last night at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller when he took on Duane Ludwig. Though “The Dentist” ultimately opted for a High-Elbow Guillotine Choke instead of Novocain to leave Ludwig in a numbed state, the hard-hitting kickboxer still landed a few solid strikes leaving Neer’s face bloodied and swollen before going out on his shield a few minutes into the first round. Neer spoke about the fight in a post-victory interview with the UFC where he paid respect to Ludwig’s stand-up. “I don’t know what he hit me with. He hit me with, in the beginning of the fight, with some good stuff. He’s definitely the hardest puncher I’ve ever fought.” Neer Preparing for a War Against Ludwig The 33-10-1 welterweight who is now on a six-fight winning streak including two inside the Octagon also discussed training with Cesar Gracie’s camp and more. Check out the video below: Tweet

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In an evening that featured several thrilling comebacks, veteran Josh Neer may have had the most impressive one of all against Duane Ludwig in the co-main event of the first-ever UFC on FX show last night (Jan. 20, 2012) in Nashville, Tennessee. Neer was battered and bruised badly by Ludwig, a former Muay Thai kickboxing champion who now holds the fasted knockout in UFC history. Things were starting to get ugly for the Iowan, but then he turned the tides in dramatic fashion, not just winning the fight, but emphatically putting his opponent to sleep. So how did Neer shift the momentum? And what's next for both fighters? Let's find out: From the early onset of the fight, it was obvious that Ludwig had a significant striking advantage. Neer pushed forward with both hands up but repeatedly was getting tagged by the Grudge fighter's precision punches. "Bang" even stumbled Neer early with a left hand and proceeded to blast him with knees to the body as he attempted to recover. "The Dentist" attempted a body lock to secure a takedown, but Ludwig fended him off and responded with a huge knee. Both men exchanged big blows but again, Ludwig got the better of it and then pressed forward with big knees to the body which seemed to hurt the scrappy Iowan. Neer continued to absorb some big strikes to the head and body, but he finally grabbed a single leg and turned the corner, putting "Bang" on his back. Ludwig obviously wants to get back to his feet, but in his haste, he turtled on his way up and completely left his neck exposed. Seeing the neck ripe for the picking, Neer immediately latched on a guillotine choke which was so tight that Ludwig didn't even have time to tap out, going unconscious in just five seconds. It was one of the tightest chokes you'll ever see. For Duane Ludwig, he's got to be frustrated with what happened. He was on a nice win streak and was just brutalizing Neer in the stand-up exchanges with his punches and knees. He's made strides in his wrestling and takedown defense, but once he was put on his back, it was likely only a matter of time before he was submitted. Scrambling to his feet while leaving his neck completely exposed like that was a rookie mistake on the ground. I'd think Ludwig would be the perfect opponent for Dan Hardy's comeback fight in the welterweight division as both men are entertaining strikers who likely won't want to go to the ground. Other possible opponents for "Bang" include Claude Patrick and Carlos Eduardo Rocha. For Josh Neer, he's now 2-0 in his fourth stint in the UFC. His striking showed some serious holes, but he was tough enough to absorb the damage and impose his will and then submit his opponent. Neer surprised me as I thought he would be too stubborn and would stand and trade with Ludwig for too long, but he only kept the fight standing long enough to close the distance and score a takedown. On the ground, it was his world and he latched onto that guillotine choke with excellent technique. Neer apparantely called out Brian Ebersole after his fight, so that would be an intriguing potential match-up. Other potential opponents for "The Dentist" include Seth Baczynski or potentially Mike Pyle. Whoever he faces, Neer will likely continue to put on exciting fights, which is why he keeps getting invited back to the promotion. So what did you think, Maniacs? Did Neer pull this out with superior technique, or did Ludwig blow it? Did anything happen in this fight that surprised you? Sound off! For complete UFC on FX results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

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Josh Neer managed to survive an early onslaught from Duane Ludwig before locking in a deep guillotine choke that put Ludwig to sleep. After the fight hit the mat, Ludwig tried to scramble and left his neck exposed to an extremely gritty veteran. Besides being rocked on the feet during an initial striking match, Neer also realized he had to keep busy: “When I was on top of him I could feel blood trickle down my neck,” Neer said post-fight. “I didn’t know how bad the cut was above my eye, so I knew I had to finish him and finish quick. I saw an opening and got him.” Since returning to the UFC in late 2001, Neer has gone 2-0, including a TKO against Keith Wisniewski last October.  Expect the former FMS product to receive another tough test in the lightweight division later this year, while he hopes to build his UFC resume (again).

Posted in: keith wisniewski, neer, josh neer, ludwig, duane ludwig

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Josh Neer defeated Duane Ludwig by guillotine choke. The technical submission came at 3:04 in the first round. Jon Anik repeated multiple times in the build up that Josh Neer was an honorary Diaz Brother because of his ability to survive big shots and his slick submissions. That turned out to be a great comparison at Neer held his own against the K-1 veteran, trading punches with Duane Ludwig. Though Ludwig was getting the better of the stand up, he wasn't dominating Neer as most would expect. It was Neer's legendary chin that kept him in the fight and allowed him to put together a pretty technical finish. Sinking in a guillotine choke, he put Duane Ludwig to sleep before Duane could tap out. Neer improves to 33-10-1 in his career. Duane Ludwig drops to 21-12 in MMA. It was the sixth submission loss of his career. SBN coverage of UFC on FX

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The welterweights were at war tonight (Fri., Jan. 20, 2012) at the UFC on FX 1: "Guillard vs. Miller" event in Nashville, Tennessee, as Duane Ludwig battled Josh Neer. Both men are veterans of the sport and came in riding win streaks, Ludwig with two straight and Neer having won five in a row dating back to his May 2010 loss to Eddie Alvarez in Bellator. Make it six now, including his second straight inside the Octagon, as "The Dentist" surgically disposed of "Bang" with a first round guillotine submission victory. Ludwig couldn't help but smile when he woke up but it will be a long road back to his old spot in the welterweight division for the 33-year-old vet. As for Neer, could this signify a rebirth of sorts? The fight opened as all fights do, with both men standing and looking to land that one big shot that will put the other away in spectacular fashion, earning not only knockout win but a big bonus in the process. Sometimes, though, a submission is just as sweet. After getting Ludwig to the floor on a caught kick, Neer worked to a guillotine and squeezed until his foe went limp. The cash for "Submission of the Night" is just as green, after all. And a win is a win. Moving on up. Be sure to hit up MMAmania.com's for up to the minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of the rest of the night's UFC on FX: "Guillard vs. Miller" action by clicking here.

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Filed under: UFCIn a short but entertaining fight on Friday night's UFC on FX card, Josh Neer withstood an early barrage from Duane Ludwig, then ended up choking Ludwig unconscious in the first round. Early on Ludwig looked great, battering Neer with punches that seemed to be hurting him, and Neer was backing away. At one point Ludwig also knocked out Neer's mouth guard, and Neer may have benefitted from a brief pause in the action so that he was able to put it back in. At the start of the first round, it looked like Ludwig would have his way with Neer standing up. But Neer bided his time and took Ludwig down, and once he did that he was in control. First Neer landed punches on the ground, then he slipped in a guillotine choke from half guard. Ludwig looked like he was about to tap out and then he simply slumped down, and Neer yelled to referee Josh Rosenthal that Ludwig was out. Rosenthal checked, saw that Neer was right, and stopped the fight. The fight lasted 3 minutes, 4 seconds. "It was a good win," Neer said. "I wanted to stand up and trade more but he was getting the better of me so I took it to the ground to finish him." The win improves Neer's MMA record to 33-10-1 and puts him on a six-fight winning streak. Ludwig falls to 21-12 and snaps a two-fight winning streak of his own. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, josh, neer, ludwig, duane ludwig

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Filed under: UFCThis is the UFC on FX live blog for Duane Ludwig vs. Josh Neer, a welterweight bout on tonight's main card from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Ludwig (21-11) aims for his third straight UFC win after taking decisions over Amir Sadollah and Nick Osipczak. Neer (32-10-1) returned to the UFC last October and stopped Keith Wisniewski in a bloody brawl. The live blog is below. More: Latest UFC News | UFC on FX Results Josh Rosenthal is the referee. Round 1: No touch of gloves. Neer immediately gets in Ludwig's face. Ludwig lands a right hand that staggers Neer. Neer recovers and presses Ludwig against the cage. Round 2: Round 3: Follow Us on Twitter Friend Us on Facebook Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, round, neer, amir sadollah, ludwig

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The co-main event of tonight's (Jan. 20, 2012) UFC on FX 1 event, which is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) debut on the cable network channel, will feature two streaking welterweights in Josh Neer and Duane Ludwig. Both are currently enjoying win streaks with Ludwig having won his last two under the UFC banner and Neer having reeled off five straight victories, with four coming in smaller promotions outside the Octagon. After making a successful return after receiving an invite back to the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion at UFC on Versus 4, "The Dentist" hopes to become a mainstay in the wide open welterweight division. Ludwig on the other hand, has earned back-to-back victories against Nick Osipczak and Amir Sadollah after previously losing two consecutive in the UFC. After finally receiving his long awaited recognition as the true owner of the fastest knockout in UFC history, "Bang" can't sit back and enjoy his new-found placement in the record books and must instead focus on keeping his momentum going against a very tough Neer. Make the jump for a complete breakdown of the UFC on FX 1 co-main event between Duane Ludwig and Josh Neer. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} THE BREAKDOWN Josh Neer has proven he can be a very competitive MMA fighter, winning seven out of his last eight bouts since his last release from the promotion. His only loss during that stint came to former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. Neer is one of those fighters who is not great at one particular discipline, but can definitely mix together just enough to catch you with a submission or knock you out if need be. Having recently spent time training with the Cesar Gracie crew which includes Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields, it’s safe to assume that his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) skills and boxing could have improved. If nothing else, his overall toughness surely rose a bit, if that's even possible. Duane Ludwig is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Amir Sadollah at UFC on Versus 5 this past August, which upped his win streak to two in a row. Ludwig, much like his opponent, isn’t a specialist in one given area, but prefers to keep the fight on the feet. If he has an advantage over Neer, it may be his striking, even though "The Dentist" isn’t necessarily opposed to getting in a stand up brawl. If the fight goes to the ground, this is where things get a bit more interesting. Neer isn’t a jiu-jitsu black belt by any stretch of the imagination, but he can pull off a submission victory if the chance presents itself. This will be Neer’s best chance to pull off a finish as "Bang" has proven that his submission defense isn’t the greatest by losing his last three bouts via submission. Furthermore, Ludwig’s last submission victory came over four years ago. PREDICTION This fight will come down to who is the most aggressive. Both are proven hard-nosed veterans who aren’t afraid to test the waters on the feet or the ground. This fight won’t be pretty, but a relentless Neer will out work Ludwig in all areas of the game. Ludwig’s best chance at victory is to try and keep his distance and pick apart Neer on the feet. I just don’t see it happening as Neer isn’t opposed to eating a couple of shots in order to get a hold of you or deliver a few strikes of his own. As proven strikers, oddly enough, I don’t anticipate this fight to stay on the feet very long with Neer going for an early takedown and keeping Ludwig on the mat for the majority of the fight, doing enough to earn a unanimous decision victory. Prediction: Josh Neer defeats Duane Ludwig via unanimous decision

Posted in: ufc, fight, neer, victory, ludwig

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UFC on FX 1 takes place later tonight at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The event airs live on FX at 9pm ET/6pm PT. The FX broadcast will be preceded by a prelim special on FUEL TV at 6pm ET/3pm PT. In the main event, Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard meet for a chance to get back in the lightweight title picture. Duane “Bang” Ludwig takes on Josh Neer in a welterweight bout. Pat Barry looks to end a two-fight losing streak against Christian Morecraft. Mike Easton takes on Jared Papazian in a bantamweight match-up. Results, recap and bonuses after the jump. Results Jim Miller vs. Melvin Guillard Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Josh Neer Mike Easton vs. Jared Papazian Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft Jorge Rivera vs. Eric Schafer Kamal Shalorus vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Charlie Brenneman vs. Daniel Roberts Fabricio Camoes vs. Tommy Hayden Daniel Pineda vs. Pat Schilling Nick Denis vs. Joseph Sandoval Recap & Thoughts Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft: Mike Easton vs. Jared Papazian: Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Josh Neer: Jim Miller vs. Melvin Guillard: Bonuses $??? Submission of the Night: Knockout of the Night: Fight of the Night:

Posted in: fx, vs, guillard, papazian, ludwig

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Two seasoned and calamitous old schoolers with over twenty years of cumulative experience will bask in the spotlight for Friday's UFC on FX show. Duane "Bang" Ludwig meets Josh "The Dentist" Neer in a co-main event pairing that virtually guarantees violence. By the time he made his Octagon debut at UFC 42 in 2003, Duane Ludwig (21-11) was one of the most exciting new prospects in MMA. For starters, "Bang" had already beaten renowned kickboxer "Malaipet" to win the ISKA World Muay Thai title and, while simultaneously masquerading in MMA as a Bas Rutten protege, accrued nine wins in his first eleven fights. Amongst that introductory streak, Ludwig became the UCC lightweight champion with a shocking first round knockout of a prime Jens Pulver, who had just successfully defended the UFC 155-pound strap against B.J. Penn, and forced Charles Bennett and Thomas Denny to cry uncle by way of his utterly trenchant striking. Ludwig would defeat Genki Sudo, the revered Japanese entertainer and grappling virtuoso, by decision in his UFC debut. In a classic striker vs. grappler match up, Sudo bloodied Ludwig's nose with ground-and-pound severely enough to warrant a pause in the action for the doctor to check on him, but then absorbed a barrage of Ludwig's ruthless Muay Thai when the fight was reset in the standing position. The outcome was one of the most hotly debated controversies in the early era of the sport, inspiring the implementation of the contemporary rule which specifies that the competitors will be restarted in the same position after the referee calls time for a foul and/or to consult with the ringside physician. Ludwig ended up bouncing back and forth between lightweight and welterweight and, because he was unable to level his ground game with his stand up, never made a huge splash in MMA. Barring the lofty expectations he created for himself, he still had a successful career and plugged away in the UFC, Strikeforce, K-1 and Sengoku, where he lost to the big kids on the block like Penn, Paul Daley, Tyson Griffin, Josh Thomson and Takanori Gomi. Most recently, his almost immediate shellacking of Jonathan Goulet at UFC Fight Night 3 was finally christened as the fastest knockout in Octagon history, and Ludwig's remolded his latest tour with two straight decision wins (Nick Osipczak, Amir Sadollah) after opening with two losses (Jim Miller, Darren Elkins). Josh Neer (32-10-1) has a well earned reputation for being a gritty, hard-nosed scrapper. The longtime Pat Miletich product has an unconfirmed yet relatively insane amateur record (87-1) in Iowa and is rumored to have taken on multiple adversaries on the same night. After turning pro and ratcheting two TKO wins, Neer would encounter future training partners and UFC lightweights in Joe Jordan (draw) and Spencer Fisher (split-decision loss). His all-out war with "The King" is probably one of the best back and forth dogfights that you've never had the pleasure to witness. "The Dentist" bounced back from his first defeat in style with ten crushing victories, finishing all but one with six TKOs and three submissions (armbar, triangle, strike-submission). This awarded a single-stint in the UFC where he was choked out by avid grappler Drew Fickett. Neer kept his nose to the grindstone and impressively fitted Forrest Petz with a triangle but was tapped by Nick Thompson, both of whom were eventual UFCers. Neer put himself on the map as a "TUF Killer" when he re-emerged in the Octagon and bested Melvin Guillard (triangle choke) and Joe Stevenson. Finally recognized as a genuine lightweight force, Neer would tackle a litany of top level opposition with mixed results: T.J. Waldburger, Din Thomas, Mac Danzig, and Keith Wisniewski in his latest (all wins); Nick and Nate Diaz, Kurt Pellegrino, Gleison Tibau, and Eddie Alvarez (losses). Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC on FX Early on, Neer was heralded for his boxing and it's still his best asset. He doesn't necessarily have the cleanest style according to traditional boxing standards, but this is MMA and few do, and Neer's long and aggressive punches are quite effective. His inherent toughness shines through everywhere, as Neer is the type who compensates for imperfect fundamentals with raw tenacity and unshakable perseverance. He's got enough experience now to be supremely confident in his ability to throw down with the best of 'em. I was most endeared by Neer's brilliant use of short, slashing elbows from the clinch in his last entry against Wisniewski, which cracked open a gash on his forehead. Standing Thai elbows are, in my opinion, a vastly under-utilized weapon that we'll see more of in the future, especially in the clinch where the emphasis on ideal hand and arm position can yield significant advantages. Neer is an average wrestler and his submission acumen has been hard to read; commonplace or even a weakness at times, shockingly virtuous in others. Let it be known that any analysis regarding "Bang" Ludwig is hereby rendered vacuous without the epic gif to the right. I put this one together myself because the maelstrom of this glorious devastation was one of the initial memories that MMA burned into my forever, consummated by Ludwig styling the Karate Kid crane stance. The massacre took place against Shad Smith and his equally fashionable wardrobe choice of Vans skate shoes. Pre-unified rules MMA nostalgia aside, the beatdown is an undeniable testament to the apex level of Ludwig's stand up prowess. That is a perfect mesh of extraordinary technique and combat-adapted ferocity. It was enjoyable to see that Ludwig still had it more than a decade later in his thorough disassembly of Sadollah. Given, the more inexperienced kickboxer presented a favorable match up, yet it cemented that anyone who stands with Ludwig is in for a long night. He's not impossible to catch on the feet and Neer is a savvy striker with a long reach, but few can match Ludwig's Muay Thai finesse. Note the exemplary mechanics of his fluid head movement, excellent timing and pinpoint accuracy. Common sense asserts that Neer would be wise to force a grappling match. Ludwig's sole focus after dedicating himself to MMA was to reinforce his wrestling and BJJ, and he became quite adept with sprawling and employing a defensive guard to create scrambling opportunities. Since he's not a pure wrestler, Neer uses his intelligence to bore his way into the clinch where he grinds away with tight-range strikes to set up throws and trips. It will be interesting because he prefers to lead with the Thai plum and has a little height and length on Ludwig despite the vastly inferior Thai credentials. The betting lines for this fight give Ludwig a tiny push and have Neer about even. From a pure skill standpoint, Ludwig is comparable to Neer everywhere except in striking, where he's just too polished to match. The key x-factors are Neer's ability to break people with his unwavering willpower and Ludwig's conditioning in later rounds. Neer can wrap things up quickly with his hands and, with a high pace and preferably from close-quarters, will throw everything but the kitchen sink at Ludwig, including submission and takedown attempts from the clinch. With only career TKO loss, he's also difficult to finish and walks through punches without batting an eye. All things considered, I like Ludwig here, who I expect to "out-box the brawler" and either catch Neer early with an accumulation of strikes or survive a third-round surge in a decision. My Prediction: Duane Ludwig by decision. Neer vs. Wisniewski and Ludwig vs. Sadollah gifs via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll Duane Ludwig vs. Josh Neer Duane Ludwig Josh Neer   8 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, mma, neer, thai, ludwig

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After going 3-2 in my UFC RIO picks (thanks to Mario for giving me that Prater call), it’s nice to have some momentum coming into this week. In fact, the only negative response to my last edition was the picture. In some circles, Photoshopping yourself into a picture with a couple women is hilarious, even high-five worthy. In others, however, it gets you a stern talking-to from one's fiancé and a restraining order from Arianny and Chandella. Yes, while once I fought in the Octagon, now it looks like I won’t even be able to get within 100 feet of it.This Friday the UFC on FX rolls into Nashville (almost three million feet away from my place). Personally, I think this is the best move FX has made since they offered Dana White the role of Detective Vic Mackey in “The Shield.” Hopefully this leads to a whole new level of UFC/FX crossovers. I think Justified’s Timothy Olyphant could be a decent fighter and maybe Matt Mitrione could get on an episode of The League (though I don’t think his two career tackles make him a viable fantasy football play).PAT BARRY VS. CHRISTIAN MORECRAFTThe night kicks off with a heavyweight contest between Pat “HD” Barry and Christian Morecraft. Both guys are coming off losses and badly need a win to stay in the organization. In the interest of full disclosure, Pat is a personal friend of mine, and not just because we’ve driven up bar bills that rival my student loan debt. He’s a great guy whose Twitter feed is vastly superior to his opponent's, and that’s why it feels terrible to pick against him.Prediction: Luckily for me, I won't have to. Morecraft has four submission victories, so if he can get “HD” to the ground, Pat could be in trouble. Pat’s footwork and athleticism, though, should help him avoid tying up while picking Morecraft apart with his superior striking. Barry gets a 1st round TKO and looks way more masculine than he does when ordering his drink of choice. Seriously, coconut rum and pineapple juice?!MIKE EASTON VS. JARED PAPAZIANNext up is a bantamweight bout between newcomer Jared “The Jackhammer” Papazian and Mike “The Hulk” Easton. Easton is making his second appearance in the Octagon after finishing Byron Bloodworth in the second round last October. I didn’t catch the fight, but with a name like Bloodworth, the guy had to be a vampire and even the Twilight ones are hard to beat.Prediction: The Jackhammer has gone to decision his last five bouts. That, compounded by the fact that he’s making his UFC debut on short notice, makes it hard to choose him against a guy who smashed his way through the local Washington D.C. circuit  --  we all know hard it is to accomplish something in that town. Easton via 2nd round TKODUANE LUDWIG VS. JOSH NEERI expect Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Josh “The Dentist” Neer to be the fight of the night. Ludwig's having a good streak - he's won his last two fights, and the UFC now officially recognizes his win against Jonathan Goulet as the fastest KO in UFC history. Tough veteran Josh Neer has finished his last five fights, most recently against Keith Wisniewski via doctor stoppage due to cuts that almost made referee Dan Miragliotta almost lose his lunch.Prediction: Ludwig has the advantage in standup, no doubt - he's one of the best in MMA. Neer, however, is much more well-rounded has a solid chin. I think that he’ll try to stand and trade with Ludwig, but then his self-preservation instincts will kick in, he’ll take Duane down and work some ground and pound. Most people hate the dentist, and Ludwig won’t be the exception after Neer takes this by decision.MELVIN GUILLARD VS. JIM MILLERThe main event has lightweight contenders Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard and Jim Miller jockeying for position on the 155-pound ladder. Both guys have something to prove after recent losses derailed their contender status in the division. It's a textbook style matchup: Guillard has explosive boxing and dangerous knockout power; Miller is one of the most effective grapplers in the UFC and a BJJ black belt who's won 11 of 20 by submission. Prediction: Melvin Guillard’s performances have been about as reliable as my grandma after a glass and half of Riesling. Sometimes he goes out there on point and you want to crown him the next lightweight champ; other times, you have a hard time believing that' he's the same guy who took out Shane Roller and Evan Dunham with extreme violence. Joe Lauzon showed the hole in Guillard’s game and Miller has the ability to rip it open even wider. Miller will get the takedown and secure a submission, giving Melvin his second loss in a row.That concludes the third edition of the Downes Side. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter at @DannyBoyDownes, and keep your fingers crossed that I finish my work in time to watch the fights tonight. I have to apologize to my fiancé (this should do it) and hire some legal counsel. I wonder if Volkmann has a good lawyer I could call.

Posted in: ufc, fight, guy, guillard, ludwig

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Duane "Bang" Ludwig finally has his long-sought recognition as the owner of the UFC's fastest knockout.

Posted in: ufc, knockout, ludwig, longsought recognition, longsought

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All that Josh Neer wants is a fight. When that cage door closes, “The Dentist” wants to go toe-to-toe with the man standing opposite him. Friday night, Neer will likely get just that, as the veteran meets Duane Ludwig at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller from Nashville, Tennessee. For Neer, this opportunity to compete back inside the UFC’s Octagon after being cut is exactly why he went any and every where to fight. The Iowa native won six of seven bouts after his axe from the UFC, falling only to Eddie Alvarez. This past October, Neer was signed to fight Keith Wisniewski, earning a victory and another shot at redemption. “I didn’t get the best match ups that I wanted to get (during my first stint in the UFC),” said Neer, in a recent interview with the UFC’s website. “(Ludwig) is a real technical fighter, and he’s the type of fighter that I like to fight. He’s gonna try to finish and not just wins by points. I think he’s good.” As for his future, Neer is only concerned with Ludwig, but adds, “I think everybody that fights should want to be a world champion. That’s definitely one of my goals, but I think more of a realistic thing is to be someone like Chris Lytle that has exciting fights every time I fight, and go in there and be remembered that way.” Catch Ludwig-Neer when the main card fires up at 9:00 PM EST with preliminary action on Fuel TV beginning three hours earlier. Other bouts include Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft and a headlienr between top 155ers Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, fight, neer, ludwig, duane ludwig

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Duane Ludwig won’t tell Josh Neer what to do, but he thinks Neer should probably try to get him to the ground when they meet Jan. 20 at UFC on FX “Guillard vs. Miller.”

Posted in: ’t, neer, josh neer, ludwig, duane ludwig

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Back when Duane “Bang” Ludwig was collecting Muay Thai titles and then making a name for himself in mixed martial arts, most notably with a 73 second knockout of Jens Pulver in 2003, no one assumed that it would take years for him to finally get the attention he deserved.He did everything you wanted to see from a striker – he had impeccable technique, knockout power in his fists and feet, and he always showed up ready to fight. It should have been the formula for stardom, but for some reason, the world never caught on. So when Ludwig knocked out Jonathan Goulet in a 2006 UFC bout in Las Vegas and the timekeeper ruled the finish as 11 seconds and not the actual 6.06, few, including the fighter, paid much attention to it. UFC commentator Joe Rogan was one of those few who did.“I was never too adamant about it, to be honest,” recalled Ludwig. “A couple weeks after the fight, Joe Rogan actually MySpaced me and said ‘I feel you should have got the fastest knockout.’ But I didn’t really care too much about it. I didn’t really understand marketing or anything at the time. But then Todd Duffee got his (seven second) knockout (of Tim Hague) and he was a big star all of a sudden, and I was thinking ‘well, wait a minute, that actually belongs to me,’ and it kinda irked me because it’s like being told the American flag colors are red, white, and purple when you know it’s red, white, and blue. What are you talking about?” Then came one of those groundswells of support that may not be unique to the MMA community, but not too many do it better, and all of a sudden a movement began to give Ludwig his rightful spot at the top of the list for fastest knockout in UFC history. Ludwig, 33, was humbled by the reaction to his quest.“It’s a good story for the kids because they’ll be able to say my dad or my grandpa is special because of that, and it’s a good thing to be known for because it separated me from every other human being on the planet, past, present, and possibly future, and that’s some cool stuff.”The Nevada State Athletic Commission wouldn’t budge from its original ruling though, apparently leaving Ludwig out of luck. Well, at least until UFC President Dana White stepped in on Christmas Eve and Tweeted that according to the UFC, Ludwig’s knockout is the fastest in company history. He even provided video evidence that Ludwig’s finish of Goulet at 6.06 was faster than Duffee’s (7.56) and Chan Sung Jung’s recent KO of Mark Hominick (6.26).“I’m not too boastful anyway, but it’s good to have it legitimate now,” said Ludwig. “There’s no discrepancy, which is cool. And the other thing that’s important to me is that I have more respect now, and with that I can help more people. I help quite a few people, and it’s definitely good to have a little bit more extra star power behind you to open doors a bit easier and so I can get more things done that I’d like to get done.”That’s the “Bang” Ludwig that dominated headlines throughout 2011. Yet the real story isn’t what happened outside the Octagon, but what has been going on inside it, where a shaky return to the UFC in 2010 that resulted in an 0-2 record and a serious leg injury has turned into a return to welterweight and back-to-back wins over Nick Osipczak and Amir Sadollah. All of a sudden, Ludwig is a player again in the sport’s biggest organization.“I should have moved to 170 before,” admitted Ludwig. “Making 155 has always been a struggle, and it is my fault because I chose the weight class. But now when I step on the mat to train, it’s to get better as an athlete and a mixed martial artist, and not just to burn calories. So the mental shift is a lot better for sure.”With the exception of his six second blastout of Goulet, Ludwig hasn’t looked better in the UFC than he did last August, when he put on a striking clinic against Sadollah, who, to his credit, stood in there and tried to match the veteran kickboxer blow for blow. It didn’t end up well for the former Ultimate Fighter winner though.“He attempted about seven takedowns, and they were unsuccessful with the exception of one,” said Ludwig of the bout. “So he definitely had it in his mind to take me down and was trying to use his striking as a setup, but the power of belief is definitely pretty strong, and he believed he could strike with me until I started cracking him. Then he realized that he needed to take me down, but it wasn’t happening. I can attribute that to moving up to 170. And now I’ve got a wrestling coach, Leister Bowling, and he’s definitely helped me a lot. This crew of guys here in Colorado is helping me, and we all help each other.”Friday night, Ludwig is likely to get another willing standup combatant in fellow vet Josh Neer, a fighter you never have to look too hard to find in the center of the cage.“He’s a super tough, durable veteran,” said Ludwig of Neer. “He’s been around a long time, he’s tough as nails, and he’s someone that always comes to fight and is always in good shape. It’s gonna be a tough night for sure and potentially Fight of the Night. I feel my wrestling is a bit better, I think he’s better off his back than I am, but overall at jiu-jitsu I think we’re about even, and I feel my striking is technically better than his, and I’m faster and I hit harder. So on paper, I give myself the edge, but you never know until the bell rings and we’ll see what happens. But I definitely felt good in training camp, things are coming together, it’s a good matchup, and hopefully things go well.”Two words you never thought you would hear in a description of a Ludwig vs. Neer matchup – wrestling and jiu-jitsu. And while those options are there for both, it’s probably safe to say that this one is going to remain on the feet. If it does, that provides some interesting dilemmas for Neer because while “The Dentist” has fight-ending power and a granite chin, Ludwig has the technique and precise striking that can give anyone a long (or short) night. So the question is, can someone ever catch up to Ludwig’s years of experience in striking or make up for it with power and aggression?“Of course, when we strike, we’re dealing with split seconds and fractions of an inch,” he said. “So anything’s possible, and that whole duck and chuck or lucky punch or you zig when you should have zagged thing, those things are true. When you’re striking with these little gloves, anything can happen. But technically, on paper, I feel I’m superior to most guys, but maybe I blink and the punch comes, I don’t see it, and something could happen. But the odds are definitely in my favor, and I’m always up to take that gamble and those chances. That’s fun to me and it keeps me awake and alive. The X Factor is, who’s gonna be more mentally ready when the bell rings, and hopefully that’s me.”Sounds like 2012 is going to be an interesting one for the Denver native, and after the year he had in 2011, you have to wonder what he can do to top it. But he’s not interested in such pursuits.“I’m happy no matter what goes on,” said Ludwig. “I don’t really want to top anything. I enjoy life.”

Posted in: ufc, ’t, knockout, thing, ludwig

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Duane "Bang" Ludwig has traveled the world, chased titles, met the woman of his dreams, had kids and finally got a long-awaited UFC record he'll someday get to tell his grandchildren about. So for the veteran fighter, Friday's UFC on FX 1 co-main-event slot instead offers something else. A chance for self-discovery. And yes, some fun.

Posted in: ufc, fx, duane, ludwig, peace ufc

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Duane 'Bang' Ludwig can pinpoint why he's a better fighter these days and it all boils down to his move to welterweight and his work with nutrition guru Mike Dolce.

Posted in: mike, nutrition, bang, ludwig, bang ludwig

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Two heavily experienced combat sports veterans will duke it out this Friday night (January 20, 2012) as recently crowned UFC fastest knockout record holder Duane Ludwig takes on 11 fight UFC veteran Josh Neer in the co-main event of UFC on FX: "Guillard vs. Miller" in Nashville. Duane "Bang" Ludwig has experienced a huge career revitalization since moving up a weight class to welterweight, winning his past two fights including a very strong performance against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season seven winner Amir Sadollah at UFC on Versus 5. He's looking for his third straight UFC victory against a highly experienced foe in Josh Neer. Josh "The Dentist" Neer has been competing off and on in the UFC since 2005. His current stint in the promotion is his fourth, primarily due to his dominance of fighters on the regional circuit (21 first round stoppages outside the UFC) and his extremely fan-friendly and aggressive fighting style. Neer returned with a crushing victory over Keith Wisniewski this past October and is hoping to even his UFC record with a victory over Ludwig. Will Duane go out with a "Bang" against Neer? Can "The Dentist" make his fourth stint last the longest with a strong showing? What's the best path to victory for both men on Friday night? Let's find out: Duane Ludwig Record: 21-11 overall, 4-2 in the UFC Key Wins: Amir Sadollah (UFC on Versus 5), Nick Osipczak (UFC 122), Yves Edwards (Strikeforce: Destruction) Key Losses: Jim Miller (UFC 108), Lyle Beerbohm (Strikeforce Challengers 2), Takanori Gomi (Sengoku 1) How he got here: Duane "Bang" Ludwig has spent a lengthy career in both mixed martial arts and kickboxing. He actually started both professionally at about the same time back in 2000, when he fought five times in MMA and at least three kickboxing matches. His overall kickboxing record was 48-7-1 but he's no longer a regular competitor in the sport, instead choosing to focus on MMA. After a successful run outside of the UFC, including a brilliant knockout of former UFC champion Jens Pulver, he made his UFC debut against Genki Sudo, winning a close split decision. In his return to the UFC nearly three years later, he would go on to score the fastest knockout in UFC history against Jonathan Goulet, so fast that the timekeeper didn't realize the fight was over already and the knockout is still officially recorded as 11 seconds despite happening nearly twice as quickly. Ludwig spent much of the next three years competing in Strikeforce as well as the Colorado MMA promotion ROF before again returning to the UFC against Jim Miller in early 2010, losing via arm bar in the first round. His return fight against Darren Elkins would be cut short after a freak injury to his ankle while defending a takedown forced a stop to the fight. After healing up for eight months, the Grudge fighter moved up to welterweight and eeked out a close split decision victory over Nick Osipczak in Germany. He followed it up by taking on Ultimate Fighter season seven winner Amir Sadollah and severely outstriking him over the course of three rounds in his best performance in the UFC since his return to the promotion. He'll get an opportunity to keep the momentum rolling on Friday night. How he gets it done: Duane Ludwig loves to strike. What more can be said about the man with the fastest knockout in UFC history as well as 56 professional kickboxing matches? He's got a strong base in Muay Thai kickboxing and he'll be looking to use his excellent technique against Neer, a man known for being more of a scrapper and "in-your-face fighter than a technician on the feet. Don't be fooled by his six career submission victories, most of them were from exhaustion or from strikes. Just like his nickname, Ludwig will want to stand and "Bang." Expect to see the Grudge product move to the center of the Octagon and stand in the pocket, ready to trade blow for blow. He will likely be the larger man this time out as both fighters have competed at lightweight and welterweight throughout their career, so clinching would not be a bad idea as he'll likely tire Neer's shoulders out. The key for Ludwig is to keep Neer from setting the pace of the fight and to utilize his technique advantage in every exchange. Josh Neer Record: 32-10-1 overall, 5-6 in the UFC Key Wins: Melvin Guillard (UFC Fight Night 3), Mac Danzig (UFC Fight Night 17), Keith Wisniewski (UFC on Versus 6) Key Losses: Eddie Alvarez (Bellator 17), Gleison Tibau (UFC 104), Kurt Pellegrino (UFC 101) How he got here: Josh Neer has been here before, this is actually his fourth stint in the UFC for the 28 year old Midwestern scrapper. "The Dentist" originally entered the UFC after accumulating a 13-1-1 record on the regional circuit, but was submitted in his UFC debut by Drew Fickett in the inaugural UFC Fight Night event. He was brought back four months later most likely as a feeder to Melvin Guillard, but Neer surprised fans and UFC execs by submitting "The Young Assassin" in the first round and then following up his victory by defeating Ultimate Fighter season two winner Joe Stevenson, halting his nine fight win streak. Neer would find himself on the outside looking in after two straight losses including a submission defeat to Nick Diaz, but would work his way back once more by going 6-1 in regional shows over the next year. In his third stint with the UFC, the native Iowan defeated Din Thomas, lost a close split decision to Nate Diaz and then tapped out Ultimate Fighter season 6 winner Mac Danzig with a triangle choke to earn some high profile fights. He found himself on the receiving end of consecutive decisions after being controlled by wrestlers Kurt Pellegrino and Gleison Tibau which again left him looking for work outside the UFC. Neer bit off a bit more than he could chew in losing to Eddie Alvarez in a Bellator "superfight" but worked his way back to the UFC with four straight first round stoppages. He performed admirably against Keith Wisniewski in his return, elbowing his opponent into oblivion which forced a doctor stoppage at the end of the second round. With the victory, Neer gladly accepted a bout against fellow veteran Duane Ludwig. How he gets it done: The biggest difference in skill for this fight is on the ground, but can Neer put Ludwig there, and would he want to? Josh Neer is the type of fighter who loves to stand and scrap if he's able to, and scoring a big fight against a striker like Duane Ludwig might present a challenge that he wants to conquer. If he chooses to stand and "Bang," Neer absolutely needs to put a ton of pressure on Ludwig. He can't sit around on the outside trying to match technique for technique because he's going to get destroyed that way. The key for Neer in the stand-up is to constantly be moving forward, force Ludwig to fight from his heels and really get in the Grudge fighter's face. If the fight enters the clinch, Neer has two options: he can try to work those vicious elbows which helped put him over the top against Keith Wisniewski his last time out, or he can work for takedowns whether it's some sort of throw or if he can try to drag the Muay Thai fighter to the canvas. Once on the ground, he should have a serious edge and scoring a submission would be a real possibility but again, he has to actually want to put the fight on the ground. "The Dentist" might wait until he's absorbed a ton of punishment before trying and by then, it could be too late. Fight X-Factor: The biggest X-Factor for this fight has to be striking technique. Josh Neer is one hell of a scrappy brawler, and he loves to stand and bang, but he could seriously be biting off more than he can chew this time around if he wants to just trade blow for blow with the former I.S.K.A. Muay Thai World Kickboxing champion. Even if Neer attempts his in-your-face style and puts a ton of pressure on Ludwig, "Bang" should be very comfortable up close due to his proficiency with short elbow and knee attacks in Muay Thai from all those years of sparring and competing. If this turns into a stand-up fight and Josh Neer is too stubborn to utilize the rest of his skill-set, he could be in some major trouble. Bottom Line: Both of these men put forth tremendous efforts every time out and their biggest weakness (strong wrestlers) is almost certainly not going to be exploited here. This fight almost has the perfect recipe of a fan-friendly stand-up battle. Both Neer and Ludwig are likely expecting to come forward and throw down with big punches and kicks, so despite not having much of an impact on the welterweight division, this should be the type of fight that viewers are tuning in to see. Expect some fireworks. Who will come out on top at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller? Tell us your prediction in the comments below! Poll Which veteran welterweight will score a big victory on the national state this Friday night in the co-main event of UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller? Duane Ludwig Josh Neer   8 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, fight, fighter, neer, ludwig

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Welterweight striker Duane Ludwig had one hell of a Christmas present from the UFC. After years of campaigning, he was finally awarded the record for fastest knockout by UFC President Dana White, who devoted an entire special video blog to figuring out who actually held the record. On top of that, he was also granted a co-main event fight against veteran scrapper Josh Neer for this Friday's (January 20, 2012) inaugural UFC on FX show, which should provide him with heaps of exposure to potential new fans of the sport. Needless to say, it's a good time to be "Bang" right now. The Muay Thai kickboxing veteran spoke with MMAmania.com during a special guest appearance on The Verbal Submission about finally getting his much-deserved recognition, his mind-set as the fight approaches and dealing with Josh Neer's unorthodox attacks. Check it out: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Could you have asked for a better Christmas present? Dana White taking the time out to go back and digitally review your knockout and officially award you the fasted knockout in UFC history? Duane Ludwig: Yeah, it was definitely cool and it was unexpected for sure. It was definitely good timing with Christmas right around the corner so everything came together really good and I was happy that the fans really came together for me. It was important they were voicing their opinion to Facebook and Twitter and everyone kinda came together and manifested this into a reality. It's kinda cool that we all came together and made this happen. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): That happened five years ago and it's just getting recognized now. What do you think led to this, kinda sparked Dana to go out of his way and award you the record now? Duane Ludwig: Well it was a combination of a few things. One was Todd Duffee getting the fastest knockout originally. They gave it to him and Joe Rogan came aboard and said, "No, it was actually Duane," and then when the Korean Zombie stopped Hominick, again that voice of opinion, Joe Rogan on the braodcast saying, "No, it should be Duane," and then I think if it wasn't for Ariel Helwani who got Dana White on video and actually questioned him like, "Hey, Duane Ludwig and the MMA community all feel that it's actually Duane with the fasted knockout and not the Zombie. Could you look into that?" So honestly, I think if it wasn't for Ariel Helwani, it wouldn't have went through so a big thanks to him for sure and that was the first person to get Dana on camera and say he'll look into it. Dana is a man of his word and he did and he dedicated that one video blog entirely to me, myself for that fastest knockout situation and it came to reality which is very cool. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Since that happened five years ago, I know you've had a movement, how long has this campaign been going before the fruits of your labors finally paid off? Duane Ludwig: I never really paid too much mind to it when it happened until Todd Duffee started getting so much recognition and stuff and then I realized, "Hey, that's actually my record. I should be the one getting the added attention, that recognition," and once I seen how much publicity he was getting, I was like, "Man, I could use that publicity to help myself and others so I need that," and that's what sparked my interest to go and get it overturned. I never spoke with the commission actually, I sent them letters and e-mails and stuff and they just said there was nothing in the rulebooks that they could change it and they just kind of passed the puck to be honest so that's why I was really thankful for Dana stepping up and making it official for the UFC and being a man of his word but I approached the commission two separate times and this last time, I really pushed through with it and I had the fans behind me and we all came together and made a lout enough voice that Dana heard it and he got it on camera and made it come true. It was just really good timing. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This is a question I've got about the commission which is strange. They can alter a guy whether he won or lost if he tests positive for steroids or if a referee makes a mistake like the Charles Oliveira/Nik Lentz fight, stuff like that. They can just change a win but they can't go and fix a timekeeping error where a guy just didn't press his stopwatch at the right time? Duane Ludwig: Yeah, that's what's weird. As if they don't want to go ahead and admit they were wrong or made a mistake. It's a little confusing to be honest. It's okay. It means more to me to have the fans and my family members and the UFC behind me moreso than a government employed man in a suit but I think there's gotta be something else behind it to be honest. The Athletic Commission, I feel, they can say, "Okay, we made a mistake. We'll go ahead and change that," but they're not doing that. I think there's something else to the story that I'm unaware of but either way, it's okay. I've got the fastest knockout with the fans and with the UFC so that means more to me like I said than with a government employee, some man in a suit. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Last question I've got about it, everyone was saying four seconds, but then when Dana White went and did his whole official 'referee clapping to referee putting his hands on the fighter' and he said it was 6.06, was that okay that it's still the fastest but it's like two seconds slower than what you or a lot of people thought originally? Duane Ludwig: Still the fastest. I'm still smiling. (laughs) All is good. All is good. It's pretty great because The Zombie, his was a little slower than mine, like two tenths of a second or something crazy so I was like, "Wow! I didn't know that." Luckily it worked out for me. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Wouldn't that have been the worst if they finally go back and check for you only to find out that Chan Sung Jung's was faster than yours? Duane Ludwig: Oh yeah man, that would have sucked! That would have been a comic situation. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): There's more to Duane Ludwig than just the fastest knockout in UFC history. That's a terrific honor but you're a busy guy. You've got a fight coming up and I've got a lot of questions about it. First of all, I've heard that you get strange or weird before your fights. You become different. Can you tell me about that? Duane Ludwig: Yeah, I get a little bit more short tempered and not accepting people's bullshit as much. I'm quicker to pull the trigger at certain situations and I let less slide in all areas. It's a little bit of that and it's mainly that but whatever the situation is or the scenario, I don't let the BS fly by me as easily. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Sounds like you get more in tune with reality as combat comes closer. Duane Ludwig: Yeah. My reality definitely shifts. Reality is always relative of course to the individual and my reality definitely changes because it goes from a couple months out from the fight, letting things slide and being nice, "It's okay. It's no problem," to more short tempered. Not that I go out and beat people up or anything but I definitely express my opinions a lot faster than I usually would. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Something else I saw which I think is really interesting is that you're on the Dolce Diet for this fight. Usually people use that when they need help dropping weight to make sure they're body recovers but you were a guy who entered the UFC in your most recent run as a lightweight and then went back up to welterweight. How is the Dolce Diet helping you for this fight? Is it just to give you more energy? Can you kind of explain what you expect? Duane Ludwig: Well I've known Mike Dolce for three years and I've used him to make the cut to '55 and it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be making 155 for my last couple fights but it's just too much of a stretch and a struggle to make 155 that my focus was always on the diet and not on getting better as an athlete so I decided to go to 170 based on quite a few people's recommendations including Mike Dolce and no matter what weight you're fighting at, you want to do it correctly and the Dolce Diet is what's done correctly. If you follow on that and stick to it, you can be the best athlete you can be nutritional-wise which is definitely for health for sure, you definitely have more energy, your attention and attentiveness for training, the fight itself and the recovery aspect. There's a lot to the Dolce Diet than just losing weight. It's also making sure you have proper weight and the ideal weight no matter what weight you want to fight at. You get the ideal performance anyways. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): When you entered the UFC as a lightweight, we've seen a lot of fighters as they age and become veterans, they bump up a weight class. We've seen guys like Dan Henderson, Frank Trigg, B.J. Penn, was that more of a process of you felt a lot more comfortable at welterweight? The results have shown. Duane Ludwig: Yeah, definitely because I've been walking around at 190, 195 for the last three or four years so making 155 has always been a struggle for me. Now that I'm lifting weights and I'm on a little bit different form of the Dolce Diet, making 170 is much easier. I'm actually at a restaurant with my family eating. When I train, when I lift weights and when I step on the mat, I focus on getting better and not just counting calories now. The mental shift now, versus fighting at lightweight is totally different. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You're not exactly a fan of guys that wrestle people and just hold them down for their fighting style, so how excited are you to be going in there against a guy who's a banger like Josh Neer for your next fight? Duane Ludwig: It's definitely good because I like having exciting fights and I don't want to have to focus in the back of my mind like, "Is this guy gonna try to take me down and hold me?" so it's definitely gonna allow me to express my athleticism as a striker as well as him as well. It's definitely good to showcase my skills without the mind-set of, "Is this guy gonna try to hold me down for three rounds?" It feels good for me, it's good for the fans and it's good for Josh. We'll get in there and just scrap so I'm definitely excited to showcase my skills. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Do you feel this is almost primed to be a bonus-stealing type of fight just because of the way you two go at each other with your offense in the cage? Duane Ludwig: Yeah, for sure. We're definitely gonna be scrapping. He's a tough guy. He's a veteran, has been around for a long time. He's got a ton of good wins and he's always a gamer so I'm looking forward to this fight. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I"m sure you've watched some film of Neer, especially his most recent fight against Keith Wisniewski. His last fight, watching that, he used this unorthodox standing elbow attack and I'm just wondering, with your Muay Thai background, can you describe that technique and how it was so effective? Duane Ludwig: Well it was effective because Keith just stood there and sort of allowed him to do it. He was just standing right in front of the guy and just be a punching bag for Neer and he wasn't really throwing much back and I felt like it was either the weight cut or the short notice or something but he looked like he wasn't in shape and I'm talking about Keith. It was definitely a good fight for Neer. He was able to bully him and elbow him and work where he wanted to work but I don't feel like that's going to happen against me. I'm definitely gonna come in shape and that's my area. I like to fight inside and I'm a striker as well and it's not gonna be as easy for him to do that to me as it was for him to do to Keith. That would not be a good idea. Ben Thapa: I recall you going for the takedown at least two or three times in the Sadallah fight. I just remember thinking, "What is Bang Ludwig doing?" Did you take an opportunity to advance your game? Duane Ludwig: I definitely try to evolve my game to be a mixed martial artist and not just a Muay Thai fighter anymore. I fight for the UFC and obviously it's multiple fighting styles. You can do just about anything and I'm a professional so I tried to get better and it's gonna create more openings and scenarios and scrambles. He tried to take me down and instead, if he's worried that I might take him down, I want him to have that in the back of his mind as well that I'm not just a stand-up fighter. I can mix it up. Just for me, as an individual, that's one of the reasons why I still fight this sport, to know something about me, finding out who I am and getting better in all areas. Every time I train, I don't gameplan my training towards specific opponents but with the way fights are, opponents can switch at the last minute anyways so I focus on what I can control and that's myself, myself getting better as an athlete. I want to try to improve in all areas. Gerry Rodriguez: I know we've talked to death the fastest knockout thing, but did Dana throw around any extra cash for officially recognizing your knockout as the fastest in UFC history? Duane Ludwig: At the time when I actually got the knockout, it was almost six years ago, I got a bonus in the mail which was $500. At the time, it was definitely great and they were just starting give out bonuses and it was cool. Now that it's officially recognized as the fastest knockout, I have got no additional bonus, no. Gerry Rodriguez: Luke Rockhold called out UFC middleweights saying to bring them over here. Has there been any discussion or any ideas tossed around about guys in lower weight classes potentially going over to Strikeforce and making some interesting match-ups and would that be something that would interest you? Duane Ludwig: Not that I know of. There's no talks that I'm aware of but I'm definitely open to fighting, maybe to go to Strikeforce or to have some of them come to the UFC because they're all under the same company. Let me back up on that. I'd rather fight in the UFC because of more exposure, sponsors and things like that. If I was to fight a Strikeforce guy, I'd rather it be done in the UFC just because of the exposure factor but I'm open to fighting whoever. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've been visualizing this fight since it got announced, so when you're closing your eyes and thinking about fighting Josh Neer, how do you see the fight playing out? How do you see yourself winning? Duane Ludwig: I see myself winning. I feel on paper, I'm a more technical striker. i use the head and the body, cutting angles so I just see myself outpointing him to be honest. To listen to the complete audio of Duane's interview click here. So what do you think, Maniacs? Will Ludwig's resurgent run at welterweight continue against Josh Neer? Is there any shot he breaks his knockout record? Sound off!

Posted in: ufc, fight, im, duane, ludwig

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Duane "Bang" Ludwig has been in the news a lot lately. And none of it has been related to his upcoming fight against dangerous veteran Josh Neer. With the UFC deciding to formally recognize Ludwig's 2006 six-second knockout of Jonathan Goulet in its record books as its fastest ever, it's now time to recalibrate for more pressing business: Friday's UFC on FX 1 co-headliner with Josh Neer.

Posted in: ufc, neer, ludwig, jonathan goulet, record books

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After five long years of waiting and pleading, Duane Ludwig has finally received what he felt was his: Recognition as the true record holder of the fastest knockout in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history. On Jan., 16, 2006, at UFC Fight Night 3, "Bang" knocked out Jonathan Goulet 11 seconds into the first round of their welterweight fight. However, it appeared to have been stopped much sooner, with the time keeper seeming to have had a lapse in concentration and not stopping the clock until a few seconds after, prompting the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to record the official time at 11 seconds. Not much attention was paid to the official time until former UFC heavyweight contender Todd Duffee knocked out Tim Hague at UFC 102 back on Aug., 29, 2009, in a record-breaking seven seconds of the very first round. A year and a half later on Dec. 10., 2011, at UFC 140, Chan Sung Jung equaled Duffee's efforts as he knocked out stand-up specialist Mark Hominick in seven seconds, too. After some lobbying from MMAFightings.com's Ariel Helwani during an interview at UFC 140, UFC President Dana White said, "I'm on it." A man of his word, White did a little time keeping of his own in one of his UFC 141 video blogs and concluded that Ludwig was indeed the rightful owner of the UFC's fastest knock out, which he timed at 6.26 seconds, enough to best both "The Korean Zombie" and Duffee. Needles to say, Ludwig was thrilled at the news: "It was very cool. Definitely a little bit unexpected. It's been about five years. It's definitely cool to have it credited to me finally. That's more than enough because Dana White and the UFC and the fans, they're all my brothers and my family. That means more to me than a government employee in a suit. I'm definitely happy with the UFC stepping in and Dana White being a man of his word. It separates me from everybody past, present and possibly future on the planet Earth. It's definitely cool to stand out from every other human being. It's definitely cool to be known for that because that's some ninja stuff there. Also, the way that it went down, the technical precision, the setup and stepping off to the side -- it wasn't just like I closed my eyes and got a lucky punch. There was some thought process into that." Though the NSAC won't alter the record books in favor of Ludwig, "Bang" says that as long as Dana White and the UFC brass acknowledge it, that's all that matters to him. Now the official owner of the record, Ludwig will now set his sights on keeping his win streak alive as he takes on Josh Neer at UFC on FX 1 on Jan., 20, 2012, who is currently riding a five-fight win streak. UFC on FX 1 will take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., and will be headlined by an exciting lightweight match up between Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller. What say you Maniacs, will Ludwig's record ever be broken? Is it truly his until its recognized by the NSAC?

Posted in: ufc, dana, record, second, ludwig

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On Jan. 16, 2006, Duane Ludwig knocked out Jonathan Goulet very quickly. Just how quickly, though, is a matter of debate.

Posted in: jan, ludwig, jonathan goulet, ko record, goulet

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission and the UFC can't come to an agreement, but UFC boss Dana White makes a pretty compelling argument. In his latest video blog, White explains why Duane "Bang" Ludwig - and not Todd Duffee or Chan Sung Jung - owns the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history. Currently, the NSAC doesn't recognize Ludwig as the record-holder.

Posted in: ufc, video blog, ufc history, todd duffee, ludwig

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For Duane Ludwig, Christmas came a little early this year. “One of my students, Blake, actually texted me on Christmas Eve saying, ‘Congrats,’” Ludwig, 33, recently explained to Bleacher Report. “I said, ‘Thank you, but congrats on what?’ Blake texted back, saying that Mr. Dana White tweeted me saying, ‘For (Christmas), you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it will be changed ASAP.’”

Posted in: ufc history, ludwig, christma, christmas eve, year “

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It looks like Duane “Bang” Ludwig will no longer have to ask for signatures of random losers on Facebook so that his knockout of Jonathan Goulet almost six years ago can be recognized as the UFC’s fastest ever. The adulation-hungry Ludwig was informed on Saturday via the post-Myspace home of Internet attention whoring, Twitter, that the UFC is changing the official time of his 2006 fight to four seconds. This means that we all have newfound respect for him as a ninja and love him with every part of our bodies, especially our peepees. According to BleacherReport, Ludwig was thrilled that he is now THE MAN: “One of my students, Blake, actually texted me on Christmas Eve saying, ‘Congrats,’” Ludwig, 33, recently explained to Bleacher Report. “I said, ‘Thank you, but congrats on what?’ Blake texted back, saying that Mr. Dana White tweeted me saying, ‘For (Christmas), you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it will be changed ASAP.’ “I said, ‘Thank you,’ pulled up Twitter and (saw) Mr. White's tweet and was so happy. I screamed, ‘F yeah!’ pretty loud and tweeted Mr. White back, saying, ‘Thank you!’ I started texting a few people like my wife, Bas Rutten, my manager, Sven Bean and a few others. I replied to a few tweets and was just so happy.” Unfortunately for Ludwig, his goal of being universally worshiped will not be completely realized, as the NSAC has concluded after lengthy consultations with its lawyers that the four seconds of the Ludwig-Goulet fight is REQUIRED to carry the legal name “11 seconds” from now until the apocalypse. Yes, that’s right, America has strayed so far from its “Land of the Free” moniker that even time itself is imprisoned by the the red tape of government bureaucracy. That’s it, I’m off to join Jeff Monson. Ludwig would also probably prefer to ignore the fact that an officially-recognized two-second knockout happened when Ryohei Masuda met Takahiro Kuroishi in a 2008 RINGS fight. But whatever. Duane is such a ninja that we probably can’t even see his tears fall before they run off to slash someone’s throat somewhere. The Ludwig-Goulet fight can be seen here.

Posted in: ufc, fight, ufc ’s, ludwig, ludwiggoulet fight

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Duane Ludwig doesn't ask for much: opportunities to fight against good opponents and the record of fastest UFC knockout that he has claimed should have been his all along. Over the holiday weekend, UFC President Dana White played the role of Santa Claus and granted "Bang's" wish, acknowledging that his four second KO win over Jonathan Goulet at UFC's Ultimate Fight Night 3 is now recognized as the fastest knockout win in UFC history. DUANEBANGCOMDuane Ludwig I must say @danawhite is such a cool guy! Much love and respect for him an all the @ufc crew! Great people!!! Dec 24FavoriteRetweetReply in reply to @DUANEBANGCOM↑ @danawhiteDana White@DUANEBANGCOM@ufc and for x mas you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it will be changed ASAPDec 24 via Twitter for iPhoneFavoriteRetweetReply There was a mistake made on that January 16, 2006, night that had the official win as 11 seconds and not four, meaning Todd Duffee's seven second KO of Tim Hague at UFC 102 stood atop the mountain. Since getting back to the UFC in early 2010, Ludwig has revived his campaign to have his win recognized as the fastest. After Chan Sung Jung's flash seven second KO of Mark Hominick at December's UFC 140, Ariel Helwani asked White about the record and the head honcho promised to investigate. Ludwig's record ties Norifumi Yamamoto's KO of Kazuyuki Miyata in May 2006 for quickest in MMA history. The 33-year-old Ludwig will next face Josh Neer at UFC on FX 1.

Posted in: ufc, ko, history, knockout, ludwig

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Duane “Bang” Ludwig now holds the fastest knockout in UFC history at 4 seconds for his 2006 KO of Jonathan Goulet, even though the Nevada State Athletic Commission is not expected to change its official result from 11 seconds. “@DUANEBANGCOM @ufc and for x mas you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it will be changed ASAP,” UFC President Dana White announced on Twitter. Ludwig knocked out Goulet with his first punch of the fight at UFC Fight Night 3 and the bout was immediately stopped with 4 or 5 seconds off the clock, but the official timekeeper recorded the time as 11 seconds and previous appeals failed to change the result. The previous record of 7 seconds was scored by Todd Duffee on Tim Hague at UFC 109 and repeated by Chan Sung Jung over Mark Hominick earlier this month at UFC 140. For the latest UFC news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Posted in: ufc, second, ufc history, ludwig, jonathan goulet

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For the longest time, the UFC maintained that Todd Duffee’s seven-second knockout over Tim Hague at UFC 102 was the fastest knockout in UFC history, despite Duane “Bang” Ludwig’s four-second knockout of Jonathan Goulet at UFC Fight Night 3. Ludwig was unfortunately snubbed because the NSAC timekeeper screwed up and officially recorded the fight ending at 11 seconds, not four. Many throughout the MMA community have lobbied to have it changed, including Ludwig himself. A petition was even started, and thanks to Ariel Helwani for bringing it up with Dana White in a recent interview, Dana has since decided to recognize Ludwig as the official record holder for the fastest KO in UFC history. Dana tweeted the news to Ludwig yesterday as a Xmas present. @DUANEBANGCOM@ufc and for x mas you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it will be changed ASAP Unfortunately however, the NSAC isn’t going to follow suit. Keith Kizer told MMA Junkie that there’s “no legal avenue to overturn it” which is just dumb. Furthermore, Kizer contends that it was actually more like an eight second knockout. “The ruling is that it stays at 11,” NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “There’s no legal avenue to overturn it.” “I did tell his people,” Kizer said. “I timed it myself with a stopwatch. It was eight seconds. Officially, it’s got to stay at 11 seconds, but unofficially, it could be at eight.” “If you use a stopwatch, from the time the fight starts to the time that Mario grabs Duane, it’s about 7.9 seconds,” he said. “Why the official timekeeper had it at 11, I don’t know. But it wasn’t 11, and it wasn’t four, either.” Well, unless the UFC’s clock was messed up too, it definitely looks like four seconds, maybe even 5 from the gif. I wasn’t able to locate the full video to time it myself, however Dana White says they have reviewed and four seconds is correct. “Sounds like them,” he told MMAjunkie.com. “We reviewed it, and it’s correct. ‘Bang’ has the fastest knockout. “It’s funny. The state athletic commissions are in place to look out for the fighters, but it seems like I’m always the one making sure they don’t get [expletive].” Regardless of the NSAC’s predictable stubbornness, the UFC’s decision to recognize it seems to be good enough for Ludwig. Congrats Bang! @arielhelwani @danawhite @JOEROGAN @BasRuttenMMA @InsideMMAHDNet and all the fans that have pushed this forward! THANK U!! @ROFMMADecember 24, 2011 5:37 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite@DUANEBANGCOMDuane Ludwig I must say @danawhite is such a cool guy! Much love and respect for him an all the @ufc crew! Great people!!!December 24, 2011 4:59 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite@DUANEBANGCOMDuane Ludwig Im about to start hugging random people at the mallDecember 24, 2011 6:27 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite@DUANEBANGCOMDuane Ludwig

Posted in: ufc, knockout, second, ufc history, ludwig

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UFC president Dana White announced on Christmas Eve that Duane "Bang" Ludwig is the owner of the fastest knockout in the promotion's history. Time stands still, however, for the Nevada State Athletic Commission. "The ruling is that it stays at 11," NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer today told MMAjunkie.com. "There's no legal avenue to overturn it."

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Merry Christmas to Duane “Bang” Ludwig! That was the message from UFC president Dana White to the fighter who has been campaigning for the fastest knockout in UFC history.

Posted in: ufc, ufc history, bang, ludwig, bang ludwig

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Filed under: UFCDuane Ludwig was at the post office when he found out that he was now a UFC record-holder. "It was kind of funny, the timing of it," he said. The UFC lightweight was right in the middle of mailing off one of his signature 'Bang' jerseys as a Christmas gift for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, when he got word that the UFC was officially recognizing his 2006 knockout of Jonathan Goulet as the fastest in the organization's history. "We all know Joe's kind of shorter in stature, but I was so excited about what was going on that I almost sent him a double extra-large jersey," Ludwig said. "It just showed my mind wasn't on the task at hand." For Ludwig, it meant a successful end to a campaign to get his eleven-second win over Goulet officially changed to a four-second stoppage, which would make his knockout the fastest in UFC history -- faster than heavyweight Todd Duffee's seven-second KO of Tim Hague in 2009 or Chan Sung Jung's seven-second finish of Mark Hominick earlier this month. But then, a lot depends on how you define the term 'officially,' and who you look to to make that distinction. It's a discussion we probably wouldn't be having right now if not for one suspect time-keeper's call in January of 2006. At a UFC Fight Night event at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Ludwig fired off a single right hand that sent Goulet crashing head-first to the mat almost as soon as the fight began. When referee Mario Yamasaki rushed in to stop it, the clock showed four minutes and 56 seconds left in the first round. But somehow, when it was entered into the official record, Ludwig's win went down as an eleven-second finish rather than a four-second one. To Ludwig, the difference seemed insignificant at first. He might not have even known about the discrepancy had UFC color commentator Joe Rogan not alerted him to it, he said. "Joe Rogan actually MySpaced me -- this was back when we were all using MySpace -- and he told me, hey, you got screwed on the timing. I didn't really care at the time. I said, you know, thanks and I appreciate it, but I didn't really understand marketing back then." It wasn't until three years later, when Duffee made headlines with a seven-second knockout that was immediately declared the fastest in UFC history, that Ludwig began to realize that there was real value in the distinction. "When Todd Duffee got all that recognition for getting the fastest knockout record in seven seconds, I thought, well, that's actually mine, and in four seconds," said Ludwig. "Back when it actually happened, I didn't care about the publicity or anything, but now that I'm getting older and, I guess, wiser, I understand marketing a little bit and I know that can help me and help me help others." Ludwig began to push for the timing of his win to be officially changed -- a goal he said was supported by UFC president Dana White. When MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani asked White about it in an interview after UFC 140 in Toronto, Ludwig said, that's when things started to snowball. "Ariel Helwani, he helped a lot because he was the first guy to publicly put Dana White on the spot about it. It wouldn't have happened any other way, so that was really cool of him." On December 24, White sent out a tweet to Ludwig telling the fighter "for x mas you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it will be changed ASAP." The news made Ludwig "happy as a clam," he said. But the question is, which records will reflect the change? The UFC has no control over the official time, which is kept in this case by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. That governing body has thus far shown very little eagerness to admit a nearly six-year-old mistake and make the requisite changes. The NSAC offices were closed due to the holidays on Monday, and requests for comment on the matter went unreturned, but UFC officials indicated that the change could be entirely internal, with the UFC altering the records on its website and recognizing Ludwig as the holder of the organization's fastest knockout regardless of whether the NSAC is willing to do the same. And according to Ludwig, that would be just fine with him. "A lot of people still don't even know that the UFC has these athletic commissions, that they're governed by a third party," he said. "And of course, we know that the commissions sometimes make questionable calls, so I think the more credible source is the UFC anyway. I'm a hundred percent fine with the UFC being the one to make it official. I'd prefer that, actually." The way Ludwig sees it, it's not so much about re-writing history as it is about getting the recognition he feels he's already earned. As long as the UFC and MMA fans acknowledge what he did and allow him to honestly lay claim to the record, he said, he's unconcerned with what the athletic commission decides to do. "Every athlete is always looking for a way to separate himself from the pack. This is a record that will probably never be [broken]. It never happened before, and it'll probably never happen again. It's definitely a cool thing to have next to your name," he said, adding, "It's also a good story to tell the kids. When I'm old and telling that story I can joke with them and go, you better go to bed because I can knock you out in four seconds." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, record, knockout, commission, ludwig

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The first UFC on FX event is set for January and features fan favorites in its first two bouts, as heavyweight Pat Barry takes on Christian Morecraft and Duane “Bang” Ludwig meets fellow lightweight slugger Josh Neer, the UFC announced today. Barry (6-4) is in a two-fight skid that includes a comeback KO to Cheick Kongo in June and submission to Stefan Struve last month to fall below .500 in the UFC at 3-4, while Morecraft (7-2) fell to 1-2 inside the Octagon with a knockout at the hands of Matt Mitrione in June. Meanwhile, Ludwig and Neer are on the rise after Ludwig (21-11) topped Amir Sadollah in August for back-to-back wins following a pair of losses, while Neer (32-10-1) stopped Keith Wisniewski in his return to the UFC in October for his fifth-straight win. An exact date and location for the event will be announced soon. For the latest UFC on FX 1 news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: Duane Ludwig

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Filed under: UFC, NewsThe first live UFC on FX event will happen in January and while an exact date and location is to be announced, there are now two fights scheduled. On Wednesday, the UFC announced that Josh Neer will fight Duane Ludwig in welterweight action and Pat Barry will take on Christian Morecraft in a heavyweight scrap. Under UFC's deal with FOX, the promotion will bring four live events to FOX and six to FX each year. These live cards on FX will be similar to the former "Fight Nights" on Spike/"UFC Live" on Versus events. All four fighters announced so far are coming off appearances on UFC Live cards. Neer and Ludwig matchup well considering that Neer has an aggressive style and Ludwig's strength lying in his background as a Muay Thai fighter. Neer (32-10-1) made his return to the UFC last month with a bloody TKO win over Keith Wisniewski. Ludwig (21-11) has won his last two fights and last competed in August, beating TUF winner 7 Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision. Barry and Morecraft are heavyweights desperately in need of a win. Barry (6-4) is riding a two-fight losing streak from losses to Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve. Morecraft (7-1) was knocked out in June by Matt Mitrione and is 1-2 in the UFC. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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