Issue 113

April 2014

2013 was a massive year for former UFC welterweight contender Duane Ludwig after he took over the reins at Team Alpha Male and led a number of his fighters to title contention.

It’s funny how much a person’s life can change in just a matter of seconds. On September 29th 2012, Duane Ludwig suffered a horrendous knee injury while fighting Che Mills, at UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic, which essentially ended his career as a mixed martial artist. 

Given he’d been fighting nearly all of his adult life, Ludwig soon began to wonder how he’d be able to make a living while sidelined for an indefinite amount of time. 

But while the injury seemed to close the door on a fight career that had spanned well over a decade, it also helped open a portal to his post-Octagon life – and it all started with a text message from Urijah Faber asking him to become head coach at Team Alpha Male. 

Ludwig explains: “I get a freak accident injury that’s been career-ending. I’m not going to be able to fight again, I have a limp and I’m jacked-up. So my life feels all over the place. But then this comes out of it, and it’s perfect. The coaching and the success I’ve had with the team is just amazing. 

“I don’t know whether it’s chance, destiny or whatever label you want to give it, but all in all, man, the success, the steps leading up to it and the things I’ve gone through, it just seems that it was meant to be.” 

And the Colorado-born head coach could be right judging by the success of the fighters under his tutelage, which saw him land the Sixth Annual World MMA Awards’ Shawn Tompkins trophy for ‘Coach of the Year,’ while Team Alpha Male won the award for ‘Gym of the Year.’

So with all that silverware now under one roof it’s no surprise to hear ‘Bang’ has put the disappointment of having to retire well and truly behind him when FO catches up with him. 

He says: “This has 100% filled the gap (of fighting). In fact, it’s actually gone above and beyond the gap. I’m much happier now as an athlete and a trainer rather than a fighter. I wish I’d made this jump a few years ago, but I don’t think that was the right time.” 

He adds: “But now I’m overall happier as a human being. And the success that we’ve had is just amazing. In working with the athletes and Team Alpha Male and the connections I make with all my affiliates, we’re just spreading the martial arts love.” 

Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, TJ Dillashaw, Joseph Benavidez and Andre Fili: all quality fighters in their own right who have reaped the benefits of learning from Ludwig.

Previously Team Alpha Male fighters had been known for their strong wrestling and grappling skills, but with the addition of Ludwig they’ve become a threefold threat after adding world-class striking to their arsenals. 

Ludwig believes the tutoring he received from three coaches while he was fighting has helped turn him into the coach he is today.

“The main contributors to my art, and what I do now, I would say are Bas Rutten, Trevor Wittman and my first Thai boxing coach, James Tigrett,” he says. “Tigrett taught me the proper basics for two solid years, just constant repetition. Plus, he gave me a good foundation and a good base. 

“From then on I did my own thing on the internet and met up with Bas Rutten. He told me and showed me how to train with intensity and how to best use combinations.  

“Then working with Trevor Wittman and learning the technical aspects and how to drill and coach. Then I learned how to teach a classroom of students by just teaching my Bang Muay Thai classes.

“I’m a very analytical coach, but I do know exactly what I’m doing. It’s about details, it’s not all black and white that you have to adapt with an athlete, to keep the best qualities of a coach. 

“I knew this years ago as I’ve been coaching athletes since I was 19, anyway, so it wasn’t like this is the first time I’ve done it. I coached myself most of my career. I already knew that I was good but now everyone else knows which is awesome. But now I’m getting better, of course, and not to blow my own horn but I am good because it’s my passion.” 

He adds: “Overall I think I have a lot of the areas of martial arts figured out as far as being a fighter and a student, being a coach, a trainer, a mentor and a leader. They’re good qualities and the things that need to be had for this job title, and I have a lot of them.” 

But despite his success Ludwig isn’t about to rest on his laurels and he’s determined to make sure that 2014 is just as successful for him and his team. He says: “I love martial arts. It’s my life and I’m getting some recognition for it. People say they don’t do it for fame or recognition and things – but I do. I love to be noticed and recognized.”