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NASHVILLE, TN - JANUARY 18: Duane "Bang" Ludwig works out for the media during the UFC on FX open workouts at the Nashville MMA Gym on January 18, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Duane Ludwig

Training: A morning run followed by Thai boxing in the afternoon and ground work at night.

When and why did you start training for fighting? My training started at 15 with the late James Tigrett. This is the best way to describe him: he was the Cobra Kai trainer from Karate Kid only for Thai boxing. Training was always hard.

What ranks and titles have you held? ISKA World Muay Thai title for 159 lbs and the UCC World title for 155 lbs, those are the only 2 titles that mean anything to me, the rest of my belts are just closet stuffers.

Do you have any heroes? Bas Rutten is my main hero. Inside and out of fighting, he is just a great guy all around.

What is your favorite technique? There is no real favorite technique in the BANG arsenal, just take what is given to me.

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? This is what I dedicated my life to and now I’m back in the big show, so it’s good to be here.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? No college for BANG. I had my life planned from an early age which was to work as an electrician and be a fighter so college was not needed.

What was your job before you started fighting? Electrician.