Yes its true, pro kick boxers from the United States do exist. That's what Duane Ludwig is. Unfortunately for him, the kickbox scene in the US is somewhat lacking, and even perhaps backtracking. So to keep himself busy , Ludwig plays mma in 'king of the cage' (think of UFC inside a really tall chain link fence). He's pretty good too (I know you were thinking about beating this guy up, just for fun and all, but I think you should reconsider). I like him because he chooses to break that extremely boring grappling fad and instead play stand up. You want to talk taunting? This brave little toaster, during one of his mma fights, decided to set a karate kid pose for the cameras. A bold move to say the least.
After winning a USA K-1 Max tournament, Ludwig represented the US in the K-1 World Max (2002). Poor Ludwig pulled out the wrong string of straw and somehow got paired off with Masato. Masato is one tough cookie to chew through (with raisins too). Ludwig tried and fought well, but he couldn't really get his knees going. My favorite part of this fight was listening to Ludwigs coach distinct yellings: "Ludwig! Ludwig!" Somewhere alonge the line they both did the exact same combo at the same time, missing their crosses and coming back with connecting hooks, but only Ludwig fell. After he got knocked down with that punch, it was just a question of Masato surviving and riding out into to the sunset to win on points. Poor Ludwig.
-mar/28/2003-
