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DUANE
‘BANG’ LUDWIG All Set for Strikeforce: Destruction
©Marc
Wickert It’s
noon in Duane Ludwig’s home town of Denver, Colorado, when Knucklepit
catches up with the MMA star known as ‘Bang’. This morning
Duane went for a run and he’ll be doing some work on the mitts tonight
in preparation for his upcoming bout. On
November 21, Duane will be taking on the highly respected MMA
lightweight, Yves Edwards, after Yves’s scheduled opponent, Josh
‘The Punk’ Thomson, tore toe ligaments whilst training for the
match, rendering Josh unable to defend his Strikeforce title against
Edwards. Ludwig
has fought with some of the best athletes in the business, including BJ
Penn, Tony Fryklund, Tyson Griffin and Jens Pulver, so it’s not
surprising Duane (17-8) didn’t hesitate to
step up to the plate for Strikeforce’s main event against
Yves Edwards (34-14-1) despite receiving only a fortnight’s warning
for the fight. It’s
been a spectacular journey for 30-year-old Duane who began practicing
Thai boxing 15 years ago. “I took it up when I was 15. I
was taking Tae Kwon Do at the time, and a Muay Thai guy came in and did
a demonstration on our instructor, and it took a toll on him. I
thought, ‘I’ve got to try that – it looks all right.’ So I
started training in Thai boxing from then on,” says Ludwig. Duane
then had the fortune to link up with Bas Rutten. “I’d always
known of Bas from watching the fights, and then a local promoter here in
Colorado flew him out to be a part of an event, and I was fighting in
one of the bouts when Bas saw me in a fight, and I’ve been training
with him from then on out.” Ludwig
went on to become American Light Middleweight Champion, the Muay Thai
award second only to the K-1 title. Duane,
what is it like training with Bas? “Intense.
Whenever I get a fight I try to train with him as much as I can.” Where
do you work out in Denver? “The
High Altitude gym, Amal Easton for BJJ, and T’s KO Fight Club.” In
your last bout, you got revenge for a previous loss against Sam Morgan.
What were your thoughts going into the fight with Sam? “I
just wanted to come in and make sure I didn’t hold back, and that I
was awake and aware. In the first fight, I wasn’t up for it –
I just showed up for a pay check, so I wanted to make sure this time I
was ready to scrap, and I was. That’s how it worked out.” [Duane
defeated Sam by TKO, at 2.01 in round one, on October 3, 2008 at
Strikeforce: Payback.] There
seems to be some confusion: Did you defeat Jonathan Goulet in four
seconds or eleven? “It
was four seconds, but they officially called it eleven, due to a
discrepancy with the commission (Nevada State Athletic Commission) for
some reason.” Did
that bother you? “I
didn’t really care: Four seconds would have been nice – that’s the
world record, but whatever.” Is
two weeks enough time for you to prepare for Yves? “We’ll
find out… You never know until after the fight.” You’re
fighting at a catch weight of 164lbs. Why is that? “Because
I wasn’t really training and I walk around at low 80s, so I couldn’t
make 55 at this short of notice – 64 was the weight that I thought I
could make.” What
do you expect from Yves? “I
expect explosiveness… combinations… He’s a great fighter and very
well rounded, so it’s going to be a good match-up for sure.” With
your Thai-boxing skills, will Yves want to take it to the ground? “I
don’t know; we’ll find out when the bell rings, but his stand-up is
very good.” Now
that it’s a non-title match, is your bout scheduled for three 5-
minute rounds? “Yes.” How
are you going to win the fight? “I
don’t know. We’ll see, but hopefully it will happen, and I
just want to come out healthy and with a victory. If those two
things take place, I’ll be happy.” Will
this give you a shot at the title? “I’m
not sure – I don’t look too far ahead, just take one fight at a
time, but we’ll see what the future holds.” Duane,
is there anything you’d like to add? “Come
watch the fight. Good luck to Yves and good luck to me, and
we’ll see what happens.” Duane
Ludwig’s sponsors? “Tapout,
Affliction, Nutritox, GLCdirect.com, and Training Day supplements.” Tickets
for Strikeforce “Destruction,” priced from $30, are on sale at the
HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well as at all Ticketmaster
locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com),
and on Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
Late
News Duane
“Bang” Ludwig def. Yves Edwards – Unanimous Decision, 3 Rounds
(29-28, 29-28, 29-28). For
full results on Strikeforce “Destruction” check out Knucklepit News.
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