Stepping in on short notice, Duane "Bang" Ludwig made the most of his opportunity by picking up a unanimous decision win over Yves Edwards in a catch weight fight.
Edwards got control early in the fight with a takedown while working to pass Ludwig’s guard, and stayed there for the biggest part of the first round making his opponent work off his back.
The 2nd round saw Ludwig gain momentum with some good strikes that seem to put Edwards off balance, while he tried to take the fight back to the ground to avoid the strength of Ludwig’s stand-up game.
When the final round began it looked as if Edwards was starting to wear out a bit as Ludwig became the aggressor eventually scoring a takedown of his own, going for strikes and starting to control the pace of the fight. When it was all over, Ludwig got the win, as Edwards seemed a bit despondent with the decision.
"It’s not about me fighting people, I don’t care about titles or fighting certain people, but I do need to find someone that wakes me up," Ludwig said after the win. "Yves Edwards scared me, he’s a tough sucker, it woke me up."
When asked what’s up next for him Ludwig replied "I don’t really know, I’ll leave that up to my manager. I’m going to take a little time off for Thanksgiving, gain some weight, and then get right back in the gym. This is my job. this is what I do to pay the bills so training is like going to work. I am lucky to be able to do what I love as a job."
"I don’t really care who I fight next, as long as it is someone who motivates me. Someone who will get in my head and keep me focused and sharp. I wouldn’t mind fighting again in Japan. We always have fun over there. But wherever, it doesn’t matter. It is really who that matters more then where." Ludwig added.
"I want to thank my wife Jessica, my manager Boogie, and all my team mates for helping me get ready. I also had some really good support from sponsors on this fight which helped a lot. Sponsors are so important to us as fighters, really they are the ones that take care of us between the fights."
"I want to tell my fans thanks for the support as always. I hope I showed that I am still getting better and better with each fight, and that I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. A little turkey, some pumpkin pie, and then it’s back to the gym. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!"
"Oh yeah.. Christmas is coming, go buy some Duane Bang gear!"
