DUANE “BANG” LUDWIG -YVES EDWARDS TO CLASH ON HDNET

Posted on | November 21, 2008 | No Comments

A broken toe will sideline World Lightweight (155 lb. limit) Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson from his scheduled title defense against Yves Edwards (34-14-1) at San Jose’s HP Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 21.

World Muay Thai champion and mixed martial arts (MMA) knockout artist, Duane “Bang” Ludwig (17-8), will step up to face Edwards in the cage at a catch weight of 164 lbs.

The 30-year-old Ludwig is coming off a sensational first round stoppage of Sam “The Squeeze” Morgan, a veteran of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter,” on Friday, October 3rd. He has since remained in top physical form while preparing other competitors for battle.

Ludwig is no stranger to imposing victories. The Denver, Colorado native shattered the all-time record for quickest finish in MMA history when he delivered a crushing right hand that leveled Jonathan Goulet only 11 seconds (unoffical time was 4 seconds) into their Spike TV live, televised matchup on January 16, 2006.

A former professional kickboxer who crossed over to the hybrid combat sport that is MMA, Ludwig reached the pinnacle of his professional kickboxing career when he captured the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) World Junior Middleweight Muay Thai championship in Denver in January 2004. The victory was by no means simple as he was forced to contend with Thailand native Malaipet Sitprapom in a five-round, toe-to-toe war before earning a unanimous decision from the judges.

Ludwig displayed tremendous potential by winning 8 of his first 10 mixed martial arts contests, but it was his 11th start on January 25, 2003 in which he made his first big mark in the sport. Matched with former UFC 155 pound champion, Jens “Little Evil” Pulver, in the main event of a star-studded card at Montreal, Canada’s Pierre Charbonneau Centre, Ludwig shocked those looking on when he caught Pulver with a punishing right hand that prompted the referee to call a stoppage to the bout at the 1:13 mark of the bout’s first round.

Like Ludwig, Edwards has triumphed over a number of other notable rivals, including Rich Clementi, Dokonjonosuke Mishima, James Edson Berto, and Hermes Franca, whom Edwards defeated twice.

Edwards, a native of The Bahamas, took up Karate at age nine and, soon after, began studying Kung-Fu. After relocating to Houston, Texas at the age of 15, he fell in love with mixed martial arts (MMA) and gradually immersed himself in various components of the sport, most notably Muay Thai, western boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Edwards later dubbed his hybrid style of combat “Thug Jitsu.”

It is his passion for combat that recently lured Edwards to Coconut Creek, Florida, where the 11-year veteran of professional MMA has become a full fledged member of star-filled fight squad, American Top Team.

The Ludwig-Edwards match up can be seen live on Friday night, November 21st, on HDNET.

Please visit www.HDNETFIGHTS.com for more information.