BJJ Fighter
10-01-2004, 14:55
Text by Ken Pishna
“Down goes Pulver! Down goes Pulver! Down goes Pulver!” You could almost hear the echoes of the nasally, thick accent of Howard Cosell's famous recount of George Forman knocking down Joe Frazier as mixed martial arts fans tuning in on the internet were shocked as the news burst onto the MMA forums. Little-known Muay Thai stylist Duane “Bang” Ludwig had just knocked out one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, number one ranked lightweight Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver.
Duane Ludwig was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He had an average childhood and grew up in a normal family with two brothers and a sister. As a kid - way before being “Bang” was even a thought in his head - he spent his days like a lot of other kids, fascinated by the martial arts stylings of Bruce Lee movies and watching Rocky dig deep to pull off another miracle win against the unbeatable opponent.
At the age of 15, Ludwig took his fascination for the martial arts one step further and began training in Muay Thai kickboxing. While other kids were out in the field dreaming of winning the World Series or the Super Bowl, he began building a dream that was a bit outside of the norm for American kids. Ludwig started building a dream of winning Japan’s K-1 Grand Prix, the world’s premier kickboxing event.
When Ludwig was just 16, he had to deal with the untimely death of his mother. An event that would easily set anyone’s world off kilter. But it would only prove to make him stronger as, through his prayers, he promised her that he would win her a world title.
A good athlete and a quick learner, Ludwig soon started to excel at kickboxing. He began to amass accolades and earn titles left and right: IKF United States Muay Thai Champion, WKA United States Muay Thai Champion, K-1 North American Champion and many others. But no world titles. He went the distance with world Muay Thai champion Alex Gong in Las Vegas, but lost a close decision that many in attendance, including announcer Don “The Dragon” Wilson felt that he should have won.
Along the way to kickboxing stardom, Ludwig crossed paths with “El Guapo,” mixed martial arts legend Bas Rutten. Rutten had been in Denver to train for his upcoming UFC title bout with Kevin Randleman. Upon meeting Bas, Ludwig discovered an interest in mixed martial arts and started training in grappling because, “it was kind of fun and it was something new.”
Rutten and Ludwig quickly hit it off and have been close friends ever since. Ludwig often goes to California to train with Rutten when he is preparing for a fight and Rutten is usually there in his corner when it comes to fight time. Just how important is Rutten’s presence to Ludwig? “I trust everything he has to say. He comes up with something different, I don’t doubt it at all. I go for it right away. He makes you confident, and when you’re confident, things will work.”
Ludwig made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the second edition of King of the Cage in February of 2000. In workmanlike fashion, he knocked out David Ibarra with an efficient combination of Thai kicks that culminated in a perfect round kick to the head. But it was his fight against Shad Smith at King of the Cage 4 that caused the mixed martial arts community to stop and take notice of the young striker from Denver. Ludwig put on a veritable Muay Thai clinic landing kicks and punches at will until Shad Smith’s corner threw in the towel to stop the fight. He then lost his next two fights before starting a winning streak that saw him defeat Caesar Moreno, Charles Bennett, Ressen Messer, and Thomas “Wildman” Denny in succession.
After spending the better part of 2001 reestablishing himself in mixed martial arts, Ludwig spent 2002 focusing on kickboxing. “My dream is K-1,” Ludwig reminds us, and he nearly attained that dream. He won the K-1 North American Middleweight Tournament by defeating a very tough Ole Laursen in the main event of Ring of Fire 4, but it just wasn’t his time to win the world title yet. As luck would have it, Ludwig had to face a very experienced Japanese K-1 veteran, Masato, in his first fight in Japan’s K-1 World J-Max tournament and lost on points after three rounds.
Later that year, Ludwig was offered an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. Though he had been focusing on his K-1 dream, UCC President Stephane Patry presented Ludwig with a shot at one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver, and the UCC World Lightweight Title at UCC 11. With Pulver ranked as the number one lightweight fighter in the world, Ludwig signed to make his return to mixed martial arts.
Knowing that Pulver was out to shirk his reputation as a boring fighter who always won by decision and prove to the world that he could fight on his feet, Ludwig enlisted the assistance of Denver’s premier boxing trainer Trevor Wittman, the “T” in T’s KO Gym. Ludwig knew he had the combinations down, the quickness, the hand speed, but he wanted to develop the power in his hands to go along with the power he already possessed in his legs. For months Ludwig hit the gym with Wittman, honing his skills, waiting for his meeting with Pulver. On January 25th, it was suddenly time to unleash all that hard work.
When Ludwig enters the ring, he does so with a quiet confidence that belies his years. When the bell sounds, it’s all business, Ludwig’s wide-eyed stare seems to catch any and all movement as he stalks his prey and proceeds to methodically dismantle him until it’s time for the kill. If you’ve seen Ludwig fight before, you know that this is how his fights normally progress - stalking, closing, finishing. But not this time.
When the bell sounded, Pulver started circling in, looking to throw that hard left hook. Ludwig knew he should stay away from Pulver’s power punch, but he didn’t. “I’d been training for four months to circle to my left to stay away from his power. I get in the ring and the first thing I do is circle to my right,” said Ludwig. He continued, “but it was also kind of a blessing because it made him open [his left hook] wider to try and reach me. He threw the first one and I moved away from it. He threw it again, so I just came inside the left hook with a right cross and down he went.” Not a place that Pulver is accustomed to being.
Working on instinct, Pulver was able to work his way back to his feet, taking a bunch of shots to the body first. Still stunned from the punishment he had received, he was stalling at this point and the ref broke them up and restarted the fight, having to point Pulver in the right direction to face Ludwig. The fight to this point had been all Ludwig and it would remain so. “[After the break] I came in and threw a couple fake jabs and a left hook, clinched and went for a knee and he pulled away. Then a left high kick and a right cross, and that was the knockout punch,” recounts Ludwig. It was over. In just one minute and thirteen seconds, Duane “Bang” Ludwig did what most thought was improbable at best, he pulled off the Rocky-like upset knocking out Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver. The same Jens Pulver that hadn’t lost in nearly two and a half years. The same Jens Pulver that had crushed John Lewis’ jaw with that mad left hook. The same Jens Pulver that had defeated Caol Uno, Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn. The same Jens Pulver that walked away from his UFC Championship and remained the number one lightweight fighter in the world.
With the fight unavailable to fans in the United States most of them followed the fight through updates posted on the internet - the net’s mixed martial arts forums burst with activity as “Bang” fired the shot heard round the world. Ludwig’s win was incredible, unbelievable, miraculous!
Except to him and those that had known him over the years, it wasn’t. Ludwig was only doing what he does best... win fights. He went on to an amazing come from behind win over Genki Sudo in his first shot at the UFC. It was controversial due to a standup to check a bleeding Ludwig, but he took advantage of the moment for one of the most dramatic finishes of the year.
Despite his success in MMA, K-1 was still calling. In July, he made it to the second round of the K-1 World Max tournament, but still no title. In November, Ludwig defeated Tashio Matsumoto in a K-1 singles bout. In fact, Ludwig has signed a 2-year deal to fight for K-1, both kickboxing and MMA. The deal is non-exclusive, so he can still fight in other organizations and he will already be exercising that option, facing Sitprapom Malapaiet of Thailand for the ISKA World Kickboxing Championship that was held by Alex Gong. According to Ludwig, this belt has a special meaning considering its former owner was killed last year and he’s looking to keep the title in the U.S. “This title means a lot to me. I plan to keep the title here in the United States and keep a bit of Alex Gong's memory with it. Since his last defense of the title was against me, I have a little emotion wrapped up with this fight.”
Ludwig is confident, not in a ##### sort of way, just confident that he can hang with best of them. He’s quick to give credit to God, his trainers, his family and his friends. He trains hard and works hard and it pays off.
Ludwig never fights just to fight. Sometimes he fights because it seems fun, or maybe because it’s something new. Sometimes he fights because it’s his dream. And sometimes he fights... because he made a promise.
“Down goes Pulver! Down goes Pulver! Down goes Pulver!” You could almost hear the echoes of the nasally, thick accent of Howard Cosell's famous recount of George Forman knocking down Joe Frazier as mixed martial arts fans tuning in on the internet were shocked as the news burst onto the MMA forums. Little-known Muay Thai stylist Duane “Bang” Ludwig had just knocked out one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, number one ranked lightweight Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver.
Duane Ludwig was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He had an average childhood and grew up in a normal family with two brothers and a sister. As a kid - way before being “Bang” was even a thought in his head - he spent his days like a lot of other kids, fascinated by the martial arts stylings of Bruce Lee movies and watching Rocky dig deep to pull off another miracle win against the unbeatable opponent.
At the age of 15, Ludwig took his fascination for the martial arts one step further and began training in Muay Thai kickboxing. While other kids were out in the field dreaming of winning the World Series or the Super Bowl, he began building a dream that was a bit outside of the norm for American kids. Ludwig started building a dream of winning Japan’s K-1 Grand Prix, the world’s premier kickboxing event.
When Ludwig was just 16, he had to deal with the untimely death of his mother. An event that would easily set anyone’s world off kilter. But it would only prove to make him stronger as, through his prayers, he promised her that he would win her a world title.
A good athlete and a quick learner, Ludwig soon started to excel at kickboxing. He began to amass accolades and earn titles left and right: IKF United States Muay Thai Champion, WKA United States Muay Thai Champion, K-1 North American Champion and many others. But no world titles. He went the distance with world Muay Thai champion Alex Gong in Las Vegas, but lost a close decision that many in attendance, including announcer Don “The Dragon” Wilson felt that he should have won.
Along the way to kickboxing stardom, Ludwig crossed paths with “El Guapo,” mixed martial arts legend Bas Rutten. Rutten had been in Denver to train for his upcoming UFC title bout with Kevin Randleman. Upon meeting Bas, Ludwig discovered an interest in mixed martial arts and started training in grappling because, “it was kind of fun and it was something new.”
Rutten and Ludwig quickly hit it off and have been close friends ever since. Ludwig often goes to California to train with Rutten when he is preparing for a fight and Rutten is usually there in his corner when it comes to fight time. Just how important is Rutten’s presence to Ludwig? “I trust everything he has to say. He comes up with something different, I don’t doubt it at all. I go for it right away. He makes you confident, and when you’re confident, things will work.”
Ludwig made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the second edition of King of the Cage in February of 2000. In workmanlike fashion, he knocked out David Ibarra with an efficient combination of Thai kicks that culminated in a perfect round kick to the head. But it was his fight against Shad Smith at King of the Cage 4 that caused the mixed martial arts community to stop and take notice of the young striker from Denver. Ludwig put on a veritable Muay Thai clinic landing kicks and punches at will until Shad Smith’s corner threw in the towel to stop the fight. He then lost his next two fights before starting a winning streak that saw him defeat Caesar Moreno, Charles Bennett, Ressen Messer, and Thomas “Wildman” Denny in succession.
After spending the better part of 2001 reestablishing himself in mixed martial arts, Ludwig spent 2002 focusing on kickboxing. “My dream is K-1,” Ludwig reminds us, and he nearly attained that dream. He won the K-1 North American Middleweight Tournament by defeating a very tough Ole Laursen in the main event of Ring of Fire 4, but it just wasn’t his time to win the world title yet. As luck would have it, Ludwig had to face a very experienced Japanese K-1 veteran, Masato, in his first fight in Japan’s K-1 World J-Max tournament and lost on points after three rounds.
Later that year, Ludwig was offered an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. Though he had been focusing on his K-1 dream, UCC President Stephane Patry presented Ludwig with a shot at one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver, and the UCC World Lightweight Title at UCC 11. With Pulver ranked as the number one lightweight fighter in the world, Ludwig signed to make his return to mixed martial arts.
Knowing that Pulver was out to shirk his reputation as a boring fighter who always won by decision and prove to the world that he could fight on his feet, Ludwig enlisted the assistance of Denver’s premier boxing trainer Trevor Wittman, the “T” in T’s KO Gym. Ludwig knew he had the combinations down, the quickness, the hand speed, but he wanted to develop the power in his hands to go along with the power he already possessed in his legs. For months Ludwig hit the gym with Wittman, honing his skills, waiting for his meeting with Pulver. On January 25th, it was suddenly time to unleash all that hard work.
When Ludwig enters the ring, he does so with a quiet confidence that belies his years. When the bell sounds, it’s all business, Ludwig’s wide-eyed stare seems to catch any and all movement as he stalks his prey and proceeds to methodically dismantle him until it’s time for the kill. If you’ve seen Ludwig fight before, you know that this is how his fights normally progress - stalking, closing, finishing. But not this time.
When the bell sounded, Pulver started circling in, looking to throw that hard left hook. Ludwig knew he should stay away from Pulver’s power punch, but he didn’t. “I’d been training for four months to circle to my left to stay away from his power. I get in the ring and the first thing I do is circle to my right,” said Ludwig. He continued, “but it was also kind of a blessing because it made him open [his left hook] wider to try and reach me. He threw the first one and I moved away from it. He threw it again, so I just came inside the left hook with a right cross and down he went.” Not a place that Pulver is accustomed to being.
Working on instinct, Pulver was able to work his way back to his feet, taking a bunch of shots to the body first. Still stunned from the punishment he had received, he was stalling at this point and the ref broke them up and restarted the fight, having to point Pulver in the right direction to face Ludwig. The fight to this point had been all Ludwig and it would remain so. “[After the break] I came in and threw a couple fake jabs and a left hook, clinched and went for a knee and he pulled away. Then a left high kick and a right cross, and that was the knockout punch,” recounts Ludwig. It was over. In just one minute and thirteen seconds, Duane “Bang” Ludwig did what most thought was improbable at best, he pulled off the Rocky-like upset knocking out Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver. The same Jens Pulver that hadn’t lost in nearly two and a half years. The same Jens Pulver that had crushed John Lewis’ jaw with that mad left hook. The same Jens Pulver that had defeated Caol Uno, Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn. The same Jens Pulver that walked away from his UFC Championship and remained the number one lightweight fighter in the world.
With the fight unavailable to fans in the United States most of them followed the fight through updates posted on the internet - the net’s mixed martial arts forums burst with activity as “Bang” fired the shot heard round the world. Ludwig’s win was incredible, unbelievable, miraculous!
Except to him and those that had known him over the years, it wasn’t. Ludwig was only doing what he does best... win fights. He went on to an amazing come from behind win over Genki Sudo in his first shot at the UFC. It was controversial due to a standup to check a bleeding Ludwig, but he took advantage of the moment for one of the most dramatic finishes of the year.
Despite his success in MMA, K-1 was still calling. In July, he made it to the second round of the K-1 World Max tournament, but still no title. In November, Ludwig defeated Tashio Matsumoto in a K-1 singles bout. In fact, Ludwig has signed a 2-year deal to fight for K-1, both kickboxing and MMA. The deal is non-exclusive, so he can still fight in other organizations and he will already be exercising that option, facing Sitprapom Malapaiet of Thailand for the ISKA World Kickboxing Championship that was held by Alex Gong. According to Ludwig, this belt has a special meaning considering its former owner was killed last year and he’s looking to keep the title in the U.S. “This title means a lot to me. I plan to keep the title here in the United States and keep a bit of Alex Gong's memory with it. Since his last defense of the title was against me, I have a little emotion wrapped up with this fight.”
Ludwig is confident, not in a ##### sort of way, just confident that he can hang with best of them. He’s quick to give credit to God, his trainers, his family and his friends. He trains hard and works hard and it pays off.
Ludwig never fights just to fight. Sometimes he fights because it seems fun, or maybe because it’s something new. Sometimes he fights because it’s his dream. And sometimes he fights... because he made a promise.