The co-main event of tonight’s UFC on FX extravaganza is a Welterweight showdown between a dude who goes by “Bang” and a dude who goes by “The Dentist.”
When they’re not in the Octagon, they go by Duane Ludwig and Josh Neer, and both of them are presumably much less violent.
Both of these fighters are well known among the MMA-loving community, yet those tuning in to see UFC’s debut on FX may not be aware that both of them have been around for quite a while. Ludwig has been fighting professionally for over a decade, and Neer has been at it for nearly a decade. Oddly enough, Neer has considerably more fights under his belt than Ludwig.
Common sense suggests that his time in the Octagon will have made Neer a polished fighter, but this is true only to a degree. Neer’s boxing is above average, but he’s just OK at everything else. He’s gotten by mainly on toughness and an undying determination to give people hell, and we can expect to see more of the same from Neer on Friday night.
Between the two of them, Ludwig is the more dangerous fighter because he’s a more polished striker. If he is able to spend the majority of this fight on his feet, he’s going to have an edge.
Neer knows this, of course. And because we know he knows that, we know that he’s not about to let Ludwig have this one without making it difficult for him. He’ll hit Ludwig back when he has to, but you can also look for Neer to take Ludwig out of his comfort zone by using assorted grappling techniques.
If this is the shape this fight is going to take on, it won’t really be a fight. It will be more like a battle, or an endurance contest.
And that’s not a bad thing. It will mean that this fight will have to go the distance, and things will get more and more hectic if Neer is successful in frustrating Ludwig. Neer will likely have to put up with more than a couple hard shots, but his deranged sense of toughness will keep his heart beating, his legs moving and his fists flying.
Ludwig will have to do his best to tolerate Neer’s hectic and random approach to this fight, and it is absolutely imperative that he keep his guard up, as he doesn’t want to leave himself open to any kind of significant damage that could swing the momentum of the fight.
But as long as Ludwig can fight the majority of this fight on his feet and on his terms, he’s going to be fine. He’s going to have to work for it, and it won’t be fun, but this is a fight he should win.
Prediction: Ludwig by split decision
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