RING OF FIRE

Duane Ludwig: “I’m Just Here to FIght and Have Fun”

Eric — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:37:41 +0000

In December, Duane Ludwig was going about his usual routine, while also preparing for the holidays, when he received a text from one of his students at his gym in Denver saying that UFC president Dana White announced that Ludwig now holds the official record of the fastest knockout in UFC history.

“I pulled up Twitter and seen it and was so excited Christmas came a little early,” Ludwig told The MMA Corner.

There were several candidates that were so close in seconds that UFC officials broke down the fights and determined that Ludwig’s finish was slightly sooner than the others, with a time of 6.06 seconds.

“It’s definitely cool to have that because it separates me from every human being, past, present, and possibly future in the world so it’s cool it turned out that way,” Ludwig said.

While the accomplishment of officially holding a record like that is honorable, Ludwig looked past it knowing that he has a fight coming up against Josh Neer on Jan.20 when the UFC will make its debut on FX from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Ludwig trains out of a solid camp in Denver at Grudge Training Center, where there are many well-conditioned, well-trained partners to help prepare him for this upcoming fight.

“Training camp is going well,”Ludwig stated. “There’s always some little thing going on, but I’ve got a good crew of guys behind me helping me out.”

In the last two years, Ludwig has suffered two serious injuries; first, an ankle injury after his fight with Spencer Fisher in 2010, then a sternum problem in the following year. But now healthy, Ludwig can withstand a full training camp without setbacks or the inability to train.

“In this training camp I’m able to spar, go live, wrestle, and do everything,” said Ludwig. “That was a blessing, a little bit different to get a full training camp in and train in all aspects.”

Ludwig is currently on a two-fight win streak, with one of the those victories coming against The Ultimate Fighter season seven winner Amir Sadollah in August. The former ISKA Muay Thai and K-1 Max USA champion outclassed Sadollah in the stand-up department and earned a unanimous decision.

But Ludwig isn’t concerned with what has happened in the past.

“I don’t like to look at my past fights,” Ludwig said boldly. “Each fight is it’s own separate event, I just go in there and prepare my best for the fight. I don’t really write off the past and just go into each fight like it’s my first.”

His opponent on Friday night will be Josh “The Dentist” Neer, a veteran of 43 MMA fights at only 28 years old. Neer has served in three stints in the UFC: his first in 2005-2006, then ’08-’09, and now in 2011-12. “The Dentist” returned to the UFC in Oct. 2011 after winning in his last four bouts, all before the third round. Neer defeated Keith Wisniewski in his comeback fight by TKO.

But even with the success Neer has had of late, those five opponents he has defeated are not on the same level as the man he’s about to face, according to Ludwig.

“I think his last five opponents obviously were not me; I’m on a different level for sure,” Ludwig said confidently. “I think if he tries to do his past strategy it’s gonna be a different outcome. I’d prefer him to come forward, that would be a very fun fight for me.”

Along with being a different fighter than Neer’s past opponents, Ludwig stated that there are areas where he will take advantage of his opponent.

“I’m a lot faster, I hit harder, I’m good at working angles, just a combination of those things are the keys for me winning the fight,” declared Ludwig. “There’s not going to be a specific gameplan. I’m just gonna fight the way I fight and just have a clear mind and a good time.”

Before packing his things and heading to Nashville for the fight, Ludwig left with a prediction on how he will win.

“Speed, angles, and power. I’m just gonna out-class him in the striking.”

INSTINCT 3: THATCH vs. GRANDMONT – February 25th in Sherbrooke, Quebec

Eric — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:45:15 +0000

SHERBROOKE TO BE THE HOST OF THE MUCH ANTICIPATED INSTINCT 3 EVENT

INSTINCT 3: THATCH vs. GRANDMONT TO HEADLINE THE FIRST EVER MMA DOUBLE HEADER IN CANADA

MONTREAL (QUEBEC) January 17^th, 2012 – After weeks of anticipation and meetings with officials from various cities, Instinct MMA is proud to announce that the promotion’s third event will be held on Saturday, February 25^th in the beautiful city of Sherbrooke, Quebec. Actually, it is not one but TWO events that will be held in the Estrie region’s metropolis as Instinct will hold the first doubleheader in the history of Canadian mixed martial arts. A first card will be held in the afternoon showcasing young prospects from the area and abroad. That evening, at 7:00 PM sharp, the stars of Instinct MMA step into the cage for an action packed card airing on pay-per-view from coast to coast in Canada in both English and French as well as in the US on Fight Now!

Keep the bomb squad on standby as Sherbrooke, Quebec will be the site of THE most explosive striking battle of the year in MMA! The two most prolific standup fighters in the welterweight division are set to faceoff in the main event of Instinct 3 as local hero MARTIN “THE HAAMMER” GRANDMONT (12-6-0, 9 KO) takes on Denver Colorado’s “RUKUS” BRANDON THATCH (6-1-0, 5 KO). These two incredible athletes have a lot to prove and fans can rest assured that they will both bring their A-game to the cage on that night. Both men have proven to have exceptional knockout power in both their hands and feet so the slightest opening conceded may result in one of them having his lights turned out.

Brandon Thatch came to Quebec for the first time last December and was a relative unknown to the local fight fans. He brought with him a strong reputation for hard work and dedication as well as a very impressive record but how we would he fare against a man labeled as France’s top MMA prospect in Patrick Vallée? Needless to say Thatch went from unknown to superstar in the blink of an eye, almost literally, as he knocked out Vallée in just 15 seconds. Thatch is now 6-1 for his career with all his wins coming in the first round. In addition, 5 wins have come by way of knockout, all of which in the first minute of the fight! He was thus an obvious choice for Instinct President Stephane Patry to be in the main event of the promotion’s next card, but who would he face? After all, not everyone is willing to step into the cage with such a dangerous man who the top promoters in the world have labeled the next big thing in the 170-pound division.

However there was one man who, after the result of his latest fight, felt the need to prove himself. This fearless competitor has been known throughout his career to be ready and willing to take on anyone in his weight class, whether they are world-caliber superstars or blue chip prospects. That man is Martin Grandmont. The Canadian striker is well known to fans in La Belle Province and to label him a fan favourite would be a huge understatement. His never-say-die, forward moving, punch-counterpunch style has earned him the respect of all who have seen him fight over the course of his 7-year career. “The Hammer” has been on a great run lately despite hitting a bump in the road at Instinct 2 when he faced Pete Spratt in the main event. He has won 7 of his last 9 contests, 5 of which by knockout. The Drummondville native realizes that he is risking a lot on this fight but aims to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the best striker in Instinct MMA. Grandmont is definitely the most difficult opponent Thatch has ever faced and the latter may find himself in a standup war for the first time of his career. Will “The Hammer’s” experience rule the day or will “Rukus” add another name to his growing list of victims? We will soon find out.

The year 2011 was an incredible one for the Montreal-based mixed martial arts promotion as Instinct presented its first two events in the cities of Boisbriand and Quebec City. The company made good on its promise of delivering world caliber fights to its fans as names such as Steve Bosse, Patrick Cote, Waylon Lowe, Houston Alexander and Pete Spratt have already dawned the gloves in the Instinct cage. Added to that list are local superstars Martin Grandmont, Derek Gauthier, Tim Wadsworth as well as up and coming talents such as Colorado’s Brandon Thatch, Toronto’s Todd Stoute and Saguenay’s Alexander Gauthier.

2012 promises to be even bigger and better for Instinct MMA and it all begins on Saturday, February 25^th as we get ready to rock the Eastern Townships. As had been reported in many circles, many cities had submitted bids in order to host this incredible event and company President Stephane Patry has selected Sherbrooke as the site.

To quote our ring announcer Anthony Horng: “Sherbrooke, Quebec: Are you ready?!”

Make sure to regularly check the official Instinct MMA website at www.instinctmma.tv, join our Facebook group or follow us on Twitter @InstinctMMA as ticket information and the fight cards will be announced in the coming days.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Eric — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:02:19 +0000

The entire Ring of Fire staff wish you a safe and happy 2012!

Bang Ludwig Awarded Fastest KO in UFC History

Eric — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:38:19 +0000

Merry Christmas to Duane “Bang” Ludwig!

That was the message from UFC president Dana White to the UFC welterweight fighter who has been campaigning for the fastest knockout in UFC history.

Ludwig has been campaigning to have the official record for fastest knockout put under his name, but finally made it happen just before 2011 comes to a close.

A Facebook page titled “Petition for Duane Ludwig to recieve fast KO in UFC history” reads:

Duane Ludwig knocked out Jonathan Goulet at UFC: Ultimate Fight Night 3. The clock recorded it as 0:11 in the first round due to a mistake, when it actually happened in 4 seconds! The “official” record is 7 seconds by Todd Duffee, but it belongs to Ludwig! Ludwig would like to have this as a story to tell his grandkids in the future and so forth, so please support him and send this to all your friends so he can have this wish come true!

Although the Nevada State Athletic Commission denied the request to change the official time of the knockout, White granted Ludwig’s request, making the knockout official, at least in the annals of the UFC. It won’t, however, be recorded as such with Nevada.

“@DUANEBANGCOM @ufc and for x mas you have the fastest KO in UFC history and it will be changed ASAP,” wrote White on Monday, the day after Christmas, handing Ludwig a belated present.

“Gotta thank Dana White for stepping in and once again having my back and being a man of his word,” Ludwig told MMAWeekly.com on Monday. “Thanks to Joe Rogan, Ariel Helwani, MMAWeekly.com and all the websites and all the fans that have helped push this forward and manifest this into reality. It’s a victory for all of us that have helped.”

Ludwig is currently in training to face Josh Neer at the inaugural UFC on FX event on Jan. 20 in Nashville.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Eric — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:28:07 +0000

THE ENTIRE ROF STAFF WISHES YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON

ROF 42 REPLAYS ON I-PAY PER VIEW

Eric — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:40:22 +0000

Ring of Fire made its return to the GFL Combat Sports Network at GFL.tv with Ring of Fire 42 – Who’s Next. ROF 42 played to a packed crowd at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The 11-bout event had pure action throughout the night as 9 of the bouts ended in either KO or submission. ROF is the top MMA organization in the Rockies and has produced some of the sports best fighters including Carlos Condit, Shane Carwin, Duane Ludwig and Donald Cerrone. Who’s Next is sure to have many of the leaders of the next generation of fighters so make sure to order this event on video on demand and check out the stars of tomorrow, today.

In the main event, UFC vet Tyler Toner (13-3) defeated Nick Macias (9-5) by unanimous decision after three rounds in a featherweight bout. It was a great bout as both men went back and forth with wild striking exchanges throughout the bout. The majority of the fight was standup which favored Toner as Macias tried to get the fight down to the mat multiple times, but Toner had strong takedown defense. Toner really asserted control in Round 3 as he landed several overhand rights that found their mark. Toner also had the better conditioning going into the last round and that served him well as he was able to keep up a pace that Macias could not stay with and withstand the takedown attempts. Toner earned a hard fought victory and ended Macias’ 4-fight winning streak. It was a great main event.

In the co-main event, Lacey “The Lady” Schuckman (6-4) defeated Michelle “Bobcat” Blalock (1-1) by guillotine choke in Round 2 to win the ROF Young Guns Women’s 125 lb Title. The bout started with a lot of clinch work and Greco grappling. It continued in the second round when Blalock was looking for a takedown as the two women stood against the cage and that’s when Schuckman cinched up the choke and dropped to the ground getting the tapout and stunning Blalock and the crowd. Most insiders expected the grappling advantage to go to Blalock but as MMA has shown time and time again, it’s a sport of inches and Schuckman found her opportunity and went for it.

Former IFL Lightweight Champion Ryan Scultz (22-11-1) defeated Angelo Duarte (8-8) by rear naked choke in Round 1. Shultz made the drop down to featherweight and still looked very strong in the lighter division. Schultz clipped Duarte with a left hook and then wrestled for position ending on Duarte’s back where he landed several hard punches to the body. Schultz secured a body triangle while on Duarte’s back and unloaded more punches, and secured the fight ending submission.

Ring of Fire 42 – Who’s Next is one of the finest cards to date from ROF. Exciting fighters from around the West filled out the card showcasing several rising prospects competing inside of the cage. The only way to watch this exciting 11-bout card is to order it exclusively on GFL.tv. Order now! For full fight card and more details about this event, visit gfl.tv or click here

ROF 42 HIGHLIGHTS ON HD NET

Eric — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:54:12 +0000

Courtesy of Inside MMA – HDNet

Tyler Toner Continues UFC Climb with Victory at Ring of Fire 42

Eric — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:48:15 +0000

Ring of Fire has been producing and developing top tier talent in the Rocky Mountain Region longer than any other promotion. Ring of Fire went back to its roots on Saturday night at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., with ROF 42: Who’s Next? featuring several of the top fighters in the region, trying to find the next talent to launch into the big leagues.

Tyler Toner is one of those fighters that Ring of Fire helped launch, but after going 1-2 fighting for the Zuffa-owned WEC and UFC, he’s back and trying to re-launch.

He’s now fought twice for Ring of Fire since exiting the UFC, and both times he’s received more than he bargained for. Toner has also come out successful both times, as well.

“I promised my wife and my family that I wouldn’t get beat up for two round before turning it on,” said Toner after Saturday night’s unanimous decision victory over top local fighter Nick Macias. He came out much faster than the Tyler Toner of the past, but couldn’t find a way to put Macias out.

“I can see why that kid’s never been knocked out, I punched myself out throwing everything I had at him.”

Macias threw down briefly with Toner in the opening round, but it quickly became apparent that he would play to his strengths and try to take Toner to the mat. And he did, several times throughout the fight, but despite his success in taking Toner down, Macias was unable to mount much by the way of damaging offense.

Toner ruled the stand-up game, throwing everything he had at his iron-chinned challenger, but even when they hit the mat, Toner was the more offensive minded fighter either searching for submissions or landing damaging strikes.

After a TKO stoppage of Gilbert Sims at ROF 41, Toner’s win over Macias keeps him walking down the road that he hopes will lead him back to the UFC.

Lacey Schuckman, in the first round with women’s flyweight champion Michelle Blalock, proved that she at least belonged in the cage with the champ. In the second, she put a stamp on it.

Schuckman and Blalock went toe-to-toe for the better part of the first round, Schuckman landing crisper shots and looking much cleaner in her stand-up. Blalock went back to her roots in the second, trying to power Schuckman with a takedown. She scored the takedown, but got caught in a tight guillotine choke on the way to the floor, Schuckman capturing the title by submission.

“It just really means a lot to me that my experience paid off in this fight,” said Schuckman, who has more than twice the fights and twice the years in the cage than Blalock.

It’s been a while since Ryan “The Lion” Schultz has hit the cage. He was the lightweight champion in the now-defunct IFL, but has had a difficult time finding a fight over the past couple of years. Now, running his Trials MMA gym with Ed Herman in Ft. Collins, Colo., Schultz finally found a fight at Ring of Fire.

Schultz looked as good as ever; quickly putting Angelo Duarte on the mat and working him over until he found the rear naked choke less than three minutes into the fight.

“I’ve been looking for a fight for a long time and nobody really wants to fight me. So, my hat’s off to him,” he said, giving respect to Duarte for the fight. But he may be scaring off any future opposition the way he dominated the fight.

“I like to hurt guys so they never want to fight me again,” declared Schultz before he exited the cage.

Justin Gaethje has been lighting up the Colorado scene for the past three years, going undefeated in seven starts as an amateur, and now making it three-for-three as a pro with his win over Donnie Bell on Saturday night.

Gaethje tossed Bell all over the cage in the opening round, but Bell passed the test when Gaethje clocked him with a driving knee to the face. Bell rebounded in round two, tossing Gaethje to the mat. When the action slowed, however, they were stood up and Gaethje showed his resilience, dropping bell with an uppercut, then working his ground and pound mixed with some knees to the body to get the referee stoppage.

Keep an eye out for Gaethje; he might just be who is next.

Ring of Fire 42 Official Results:

Main Bouts:
Tyler Toner def. Nick Macias by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3
Lacey Schuckman def. Michelle Blalock by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:02, R2
Ryan Schultz def. Angelo Duarte by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:47, R1
Justin Gaethje def. Donnie Bell by TKO (Strikes) at 2:57, R2
Czar Sklavos def. Mike Baldwin by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:53, R1
Scott Cleve def. Johnny Torres by TKO (Head Kick) at 1:04, R2
Aaron Romero def. Santana-Sol Martinez by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:28, R2

Amateur Bouts:
John Zahn def. James DeHerrera by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:26, R3
Randy Caruso def. Andrew Kauppila by KO (Punch) at 0:24, R1
Tyson Grippen def. Jeffrey Malaterre by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:40, R3
Bernardo Fanti def. Noland McLaughlin by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3

Duane BANG Ludwig Rescued Dog Donation drive

Eric — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:58:36 +0000

This is Orinja, saved from a life of misery.

Orinja had been chained in a backyard with little food and water for days at a time. Used as a breeding machine, Orinja endured many hardships in her short life. She needed of a very expensive surgery to repair a ruptured disc which is limiting the function of her back legs. The surgery cost $6800.00

Official Website: http://tinyneedshelp.chipin.com/orinjas-surgery

ROF 42: Weigh In Gallery

Eric — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:10:03 +0000

ROF 42: Who’s Next
Weigh In Gallery