Author: By Jordan Newmark

It’s a very real possibility the “Fountain of Youth” is at Xtreme Couture MMA on West Sunset.

On January 14th, a 36 year old American submission artist trained at the heralded gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, walked into the Octagon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil sporting a full head of hair and landed a thunderous right hand followed by a pair of knees, which concluded the contest in just 82 seconds – his fastest of five wins in the UFC. With 31 professional fights on his record dating as far back as 1999, Mike Pyle appears to be entering his prime. After competing in every MMA company under the sun on just about every continent, Pyle’s journey as a cagefighter is only just beginning as a featured welterweight in the UFC.

“I’ve been everywhere,” tells Pyle. “I’m international. I’ve fought in every organization out there. I’ve been treated good and I’ve been treated bad. I’ve been in wars and I’ve been in quick ones. I have all this experience under my belt. When I came to the UFC, I realized this is where I want to be. This is what I’ve worked all these years for to be in an organization that can help you with promotion that other places do not do and the competition is stiff. You have to work hard and they really bring out the best in you. I’m always improving and I’m going to be around here for a long time.”

The 22-8-1 Tennessean joined the UFC just over three years ago as a short notice replacement against Brock Larson at UFC 98. Since, Pyle has gone 5-3 inside the Octagon, recording his most recent victory with a devastating TKO over Ricardo Funch at UFC 142. With 22 total wins and 16 of them by submission, it may have come as a shock to many that the BJJ brown belt packed the type of wallop he showed against the Brazilian in front of his countrymen. But he gladly attributes this new found power and overall improved athleticism to the evolution of his opponents as well as his staunch desire to be a fixture in the UFC for years to come.

“If you look at my record, I think the reason why there are bigger gaps in my submission wins is because everyone is getting better,” admits Pyle. “People aren’t just getting caught in armbars anymore. Everyone knows the little tricks that I used to use. Everyone has good wrestling, good jiu-jitsu for the most part, and are good at striking. Everyone is well-rounded. I was able to rely on my jits back in the day to get those quick subs. But the best are in the UFC and they’re going to kick your ass if you’re not on top of your game, so I have to be on the top of my game. I’m older, I’m experienced, and I’m learning about everything, from what I should be eating, resting when I should, and paying attention to my career more in-depth. The UFC is to blame for that. It’s keeping me fresh, looking and feeling better, and I feel like I have better tools and am more dangerous to an opponent more than ever now. The UFC brought that out in me. You can’t go in there and slouch or you’ll be out of there and you’ll be fighting for one of the lower class shows and I don’t want that. That’s not going to happen.”

As mentioned, Pyle is normally thought of as a grappler, but an impressive and quick TKO stoppage of Funch, who had never lost that way before, should change that perception. “I really wanted to display that I do have the striking skills to put someone away,” says Pyle. “My striking hasn’t really come through yet up until that point. The way the fight went was exactly how we had predicted it to go and we prepared for it to go, to catch him with a good straight right hand. I got in his face, hit him, and hit him hard.”

Up next for Pyle is a date with Josh Neer on June 8th at UFC on FX 3. The young veteran Neer is on a two fight win streak inside the Octagon and on a six fight win streak overall. At 29 years old with a record of 33-10-1, “The Dentist” is a well-rounded, sure-fire finisher with 29 stoppage victories, including his most recent guillotine choke over Duane “Bang” Ludwig in January. Neer has a remarkable amount of experience as well as a formidably offensive style, standing and on the ground, plus a near granite chin.

“Well, first of all, I have to give the guy a lot of respect in his experience and how tough and gritty he is,” asserts Pyle. “He always comes to fight. He always comes to give a good show. I think he’s quite insulted if a punch misses him in a fight. He’s probably one of the more hard-nosed guys out there right now – he’s tough. He wants to fight. He wants to be in your face all night and I think that’s a good fighting challenge for me in how to work with his aggression. He’s very aggressive. I’m looking for a good three round war with the guy. Not many people have put him away, so I don’t have that in my head that I’m going to dispose of him like I did with Ricardo Funch. That’s very unlikely to happen to Neer because of his experience, how tough he is, and how he can take a punch. I’m looking forward to that challenge of what type of fight he’s going to want to make it into and I think it will bring out the best in me.”

While his home base is still Xtreme Couture MMA, training with fellow fighters like Martin Kampmann and Jay Hieron, a huge part of Pyle’s ongoing transformation is a new head coach in Nate Pettit. Hailing from Boise, Idaho, Pettit used to operate The Idaho Elite Training Facility before moving to “Sin City”. Also, Pettit brought in BJJ black belt Mitch Coats from Alliance Jiu-Jitsu in Boise to help sharpen Pyle’s already versatile ground game. Previously, “Quicksand” was intrigued by Pettit while watching him work with another fighter at the gym, but it was following his loss to Rory MacDonald at UFC 133 that gave Pyle the push to put his faith in Pettit, which recently paid off.

“After the loss, I think things seemed to get a little redundant doing the same thing over and over with the same ideas,” remembers Pyle. “I felt like there was something missing in that last camp before I fought MacDonald and especially after; it got me thinking about the things that I was searching for. I found it in Nate Pettit. I made that change not just because of the loss to MacDonald – that kid’s a stud and it wasn’t a fault to any coaching or anything. That was totally my fault and he was better man that night. But that was a big eye opener for me to bring in new people and change things up in training. I had seen Nate coming into the gym and working with Nik Fekete. I would see some of the things he was doing like holding mitts, and how he had Nik do certain things and I liked the way it looked. It looked like they were good ideas. I talked with Nik and asked him what his opinion of Nate was and picked his brain about it. He had good things to say, plus from what I was seeing I was interested. So, I went up to him and said, ‘hey, do you want to be my coach?’ That was it. We fell in love and here we are today (laughs).”

MMA is a one-on-one sport when it’s all said and done inside the cage come fight night, but it takes a group of people to prepare a single fighter. As much as it is all up to that one fighter to handle the weight and burden of fighting, it takes numerous coaches, training partners, teammates, nutritionists, and a small army to provide the insight to achieve one’s physical peak and sometimes the extra motivation to step inside the Octagon. Pyle explains how he finds his happy medium of being a part of a team while competing in an individual sport and what the benefits are by using one of his favorite hobbies as a metaphor.

“You can feed off each other’s intensity and feed off each other in many ways,” says Pyle. “It’s good to talk to each other about how your training is going and how you’re feeling if you’re run down and what they’re doing if they feel run down. It’s good to talk to each other about that. I do like my own time and my own coaching staff. It’s like going fishing with your buddies. Yeah, it’s good to go fishing with your buddies and talk about fishing, but it’s also nice to move on down the river by yourself and work on the things that you can practice by yourself and see if it works and be in your own little world. I like the atmosphere. Kampmann has a big fight coming up (last Friday’s win over Jake Ellenberger) and I’ll be there helping him and cornering him for that as well. That’s going to pump me up for next week as well. Anytime I go to a UFC fight and it’s close to a fight, even if it’s a month away, that amps me up. Now, I’m going and it’s only a week away, so I’m going to be extra pumped and that will fuel the fire.”

This Friday in Sunrise, Florida, Pyle looks to loosen a few teeth of “The Dentist” in a welterweight slobberknocker. “I’m expecting an all-out, drag-out, knock out war between he and I,” declares Pyle, who wants to ride the wave of momentum from his exciting TKO in January and the hiring of a new coach, Pettit, into this showdown with Neer. “He likes to get in your face, dirty box, land elbows, and he’s looking to try and get a hold of you and so am I. I think those two traits of ours are going to come together just great and it’s going to make an exciting fight. When it’s said and done after that fight, the fans are really going to notice that I’m a complete fighter, I’m dangerous, and I can put on a good show.”

Seeing as Xtreme Couture MMA’s namesake debuted in the UFC at about 34 and fought until he was 47, “Quicksand” at 36 is practically a kid in this sport with a bright future ahead of him.

Long live the five round main event.

From a UFC fan’s perspective, the only tangible difference between a title fight and a non-title fight is a possible 10 more minutes of top-tier talent tussling. Thankfully, last year a new edict was enacted: all headlining bouts could be of the 25 minute variety, allowing elite level fighters to compete in those “championship rounds” regardless of whether any gold is on the line. Even with the current quagmire circling the welterweight belt, the UFC faithful are not left in the lurch waiting to see the best battle the best in these extended contests.

While 170 pound diehards must wait for UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to heal up for UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, two equally impressive divisional duelists – Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann and Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger – prepare for a potential five round war at The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale that should satisfy those ravenous masses.

“I’ve been working hard on my cardio to get ready for five rounds,” tells Kampmann. “Five rounds is a lot more than three rounds. It’s 10 more minutes to go at it, to get more bruised up and banged up, and two more rounds I have to get in shape for. I’ve been working hard and working my ass off to get ready to go in there and beat up Jake Ellenberger.”

For the Danish striker turned all-around threat, the additional two rounds are as much a boon for Kampmann as they are for the frenzied fans in attendance. In back-to-back bouts, he saw the judges turn in scorecards in favor of his opponent (Jake Shields, Diego Sanchez) much to the dismay of Kampmann as well as many Octagon spectators. Giving an accomplished finisher (14 of his 19 wins) like him ten more minutes to work his fight ending magic will almost ensure a night without a judge’s intervention. Regardless of the amount of rounds or checkered decisions, Kampmann is working to end fights with time still on the clock in the first round or the last.

“When I was going into the last fight I was only thinking about Thiago Alves,” tells Kampmann. “That was my concern. That being said, I’m going in there to finish fights. I’m tired of going to judges decisions because judges don’t seem to see things my way. That’s the past. I come in to finish fights. I’m not there to go to a judges’ decision. I wanted to finish Thiago Alves and I did. I want to finish Jake Ellenberger as well.”

At 30 years old, the veteran of 14 tangles inside the Octagon scored arguably the biggest victory of his career in Kampmann’s Submission of the Night win over Thiago Alves at UFC on FX in March. In front of an absolutely crazy Australian audience, Kampmann went back and forth with Alves for nearly three full rounds of closely contested action. Much to the delight of the fans, the two known strikers felt comfortable trading fists and feet for the majority of the fight. But it was the underrated ground game of Kampmann that secured the bout-stopping guillotine choke with less than a minute left in the final round.

“I’ll be honest, I felt like I was behind a little bit,” divulges Kampmann. “I couldn’t find my rhythm in the second round. In the first round, I felt good. He got a takedown on me, but I took him down twice too and hurt him with a front kick. The second round, I couldn’t really find my rhythm and he was getting the better of some of the exchanges. I felt I was probably behind and I needed to go for the finish. He shot in earlier in the third round where I could have gone for a guillotine as well, but I didn’t go for it. At the end of the round, I had the opportunity again and I went for it because I wanted to finish it. I saw the opportunity was right there, so I took it.”

The bonus earning win increased Kampmann’s powerful professional record to 19-5, but the Denmark native is far from satisfied. “I was a little disappointed with my performance actually because I thought I could have fought better,” admits Kampmann who is on a two fight winning streak for the fourth time in his nearly six years within the UFC. “But I was happy I got the win. It made me even hungrier to come back and work even harder and get my focus back, so I could fight even better because the UFC has done nothing but the best for me. I want to come back in this next fight and show them that that was only the tip of the iceberg.”

The next opportunity for Kampmann to wow the ever expanding UFC community is against burgeoning knockout artist Ellenberger at the TUF 15 Finale. The Nebraskan stormed the welterweight ranks with a hotly disputed split decision loss against now interim champ Condit in September of 2009. Since, Ellenberger has enjoyed a six fight winning streak, including back-to-back bonus winning performances in his last two Octagon outings: Fight of the Night with Sanchez and Knockout of the Night over Shields. Ellenberger is a tough test, but the outcome is clear to Kampmann: “He’s got heavy hands and good wrestling, but he’s definitely beatable and I’m going to beat him June 1st.”

A 25 minute bout being new ground for both fighters isn’t the only thing Kampmann and Ellenberger have in common: four former opponents. “Of course, I’ve watched his fights and I’ve got losses against some guys he has wins on, and he’s got losses from guys I have wins on,” states Kampmann, about his wins over Condit and Rick Story and his losses to Shields and Sanchez. Ellenberger’s record is vice versa. “Those past fights are in the past, so it doesn’t really matter. I’ve improved since those fights and I’m sure he’s improved since them too. I’m focused on beating Ellenberger.”

To get ready, Kampmann is busy preparing in his adopted home of Las Vegas, Nevada. Since nearly Day One in the US, he has trained and continues to train at Xtreme Couture with Jay Hieron, Mike Pyle, and the rest of the highly-regarded pros in Randy Couture’s gym. Like everyone on the roster, Kampmann’s goals in the UFC are a title shot and to be dangerous in all aspects of MMA. He has always been known as a deadly striker with slick submissions, but Kampmann has put the work into shoring up the one hole in his game: wrestling.

“When I first got to the US, I felt like my wrestling was lacking,” tells Kampmann. “What a lot of the European fighters are lacking are their wrestling. It’s something I’ve really worked on and it’s paid off because I feel like my wrestling has gotten a lot better. I feel very confident in my wrestling skills. When you’re in a division with a lot of wrestlers, you have to be able to wrestle. It’s a change I’ve made. In some of my past fights, I’ve fought wrestlers and I’ve taken them down. I feel like the hard work has paid off, but it’s still a work in progress. I feel like if you stop improving then you get left behind, so every day I try to improve and get better.”

As he enters the cage for his fourth UFC main event fight, it’s incredible to think that Kampmann got his start inside the Octagon almost by chance in the Summer of 2006. Back then, Kampmann was an engineering student in Denmark with an 8-1 pro record who took a trip to “Sin City” to visit Xtreme Couture teammate Pyle with the hope of fighting in a local MMA show in the US. He got a bout with the World Fighting Alliance, won via TKO in the first, and received a surprising call from the UFC to fight Crafton Wallace the next month at UFC Fight Night 6. All these years later, the Dane is a proud member of the steadily growing international framework of the UFC and is excited to see where it goes next.

“I love the evolution,” says Kampmann. “I love that the sport is only getting bigger and bigger. I love that it is international and giving us the opportunities to fight in a lot of places I wouldn’t have gone before. I love to travel and see other places. It’s helping the sport grow back home. They just had a show in Sweden, which is close to my home in Denmark. Hopefully, they will have a show in Denmark eventually too. I would love to see the sport grow in Denmark and get bigger. I’m not just a fighter and competitor; I’m a fan of the sport as well.”

On June 1st at The Palms in Las Vegas, “The Hitman” looks to literally stop “The Juggernaut”. “They’re not going to see a judges’ decision because I’m going to finish this fight,” affirms Kampmann, who is looking to end fights on his terms. “They’re going to see Jake Ellenberger get beat up and get finished. I’m beating up Jake Ellenberger and I’m fighting for the title because that’s my goal.”

Belt or no belt, the five round main event affords fighters more chances for a fantastic finish, which is the best news for fight fans.

What a difference a year makes.

In 2009, Jamie Varner was the defending WEC lightweight champion. In 2010, Varner lost the title to Benson Henderson via third round guillotine choke, had battled to an inexplicable draw with Kamal Shalorus, lost a “Fight of the Night” rematch by decision to rival Donald Cerrone, and suffered a first round submission loss in the final WEC event to Shane Roller. Last year, Varner returned to smaller circuit shows, where he scored two lightning quick wins and a hard-fought decision loss. Finally this year, he defeated Drew Fickett in 40 seconds, got the call from the UFC, and is in the best mindset he’s been in for a while to answer this big opportunity.

“When you’re on top for so long and when you hit bottom, you forget what it was like to be hungry, you forget what it is like to be down there,” tells Varner. “Since I’ve been gone, I’ve been able to get in touch more with reality and become a lot more grateful for the things I had, the things I lost. I think the biggest difference in me is my appreciation for all the people that have supported me, that have been around me, all the opportunities that I have been given, and the ability to fight for Zuffa. During that time off, I found out that I wanted to be a fighter. I wanted to be a competitor. Before, I was so sick of fighting, so sick of training. Realistically, 2010 was the worst year in my professional career and I guess it’s because I didn’t want to fight anymore. I took it for granted and I just didn’t enjoy it and I lost the love for it. I think taking some time off and losing everything really made me appreciate what I had. It helped me find myself, I re-centered myself, I put myself around the right people, and now I’m back. I’m ready and I feel good. I think the biggest change is my overall happiness. I don’t need to fight to be happy, but I like to fight and it makes me happy.”

At 27 years old, Varner has faced this career roller coaster and has come out the other side smiling and ready to face his next challenge. He credits most of this transformation to those who believed in him when he didn’t believe in himself: family, friends, fans, and, especially, Varner’s management Oren Hodak and Mike Constantino. It was these people who stood strong by Varner and helped change his mind when he felt, “I didn’t want to fight, I didn’t deserve to fight, and I thought I forgot how to win.” The last piece of this puzzle came in the unlikely form of a past opponent and a new gym.

“I feel a lot better technically, physically, emotionally – I’m in a good spot,” explains Varner. “My home base is still Arizona Combat Sports with Trevor Lally and I have great workout partners there. I also outsourced my training to The Lab with Ben Henderson, Efrain Escudero, and coach John Crouch. I had to really grow up. Eat a little crow, swallow a little pride. I had to go into a gym that I knew would make me better and to be around guys that I knew would make me better. Their outlook on everything and fighting has really changed me, inspired me, and motivated me to want to be a fighter and want to be a fighter in the biggest and best organization. I was ok fighting in small shows, just doing it because I liked competing. But now these guys helped me believe in myself and I hope to one day figure out what the hell we’re going to do as far as coaching when it’s me versus Ben for the belt.”

Before Varner can duel “Smooth” for the UFC lightweight belt, he needs to reclaim his spot in the division’s top 10 by beating Edson Barboza at UFC 146. On Memorial Day weekend, Varner will mark his first fight in the Octagon since 2007 and a return to the Zuffa umbrella in a clash with the undefeated Brazilian. Originally, Barboza was scheduled to take on Evan Dunham, who was forced out due to injury and, now, replaced by Varner. The product of The Armory in Jupiter, Florida has been continuously impressing fight fans with each of his four wins in the UFC, which have almost exclusively been contested on the feet.

“Edson Barboza is a freak,” affirms Varner. “He’s fast, athletic, strong. What I know about Edson are his four fights in the UFC and he’s tough and a scary fighter. Evan Dunham is an absolute stud and I wish him a speedy recovery, but I am really grateful for the opportunity I have been given and to try to fill his shoes. Those are some big shoes to fill. Edson is extremely tough and it’s a short notice situation, but I feel like I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. I go out there and fight Edson and lose to him, what’s it to lose to Edson Barboza? But if I go out and beat him, that catapults me right back to the top. That would put me in as a top five or top 10 lightweight in the UFC. Only good things can come from this fight. My goal is to make it as hard on him as possible. If he puts his hands down for a second, I can hurt him. I have that one punch that can end the fight and we’ve seen that before. I always have a puncher’s chance, but I think my overall preparation and mindset will be what carries me through this fight, whether it is Fight of the Night, a quick knockout or submission. I want to put on a show to show everyone why I was the WEC lightweight champion and to show why people can believe in me again.”

The fight itself should be a guaranteed, no brainer, bet the house on it, entertaining scrap at 155 pounds. Barboza is a bonus machine with his last three bouts winning Fight of the Night and in his most recent outing he also scored a Knockout of the Night over Terry Etim at UFC 142. Meanwhile, Varner has had many memorable tussles including a couple with kickboxer types like “Cowboy” Cerrone and the title winning slugfest with “Razor” Rob McCullough. Varner has had success against top fighters before, and is fully estimating Barboza could be his toughest test to date.

“I don’t think I’ve ever fought anyone as fast as him before,” states Varner. “The speed thing on his end is probably one of his greatest assets. I haven’t fought anyone as fast as him. Usually, I’m the faster guy. That is one thing that I’m not used to. As far as kickboxers, I have fought kickboxers before. Not too many that are crazy with the spin kicks, which is something I have to watch out for. He’s just another kickboxer with good wrestling defense. A lot like Rob and a lot like Donald. I know I can make it 15 minutes with those guys. If it is just a kickboxing match in there, I know I can hang. Will I win a kickboxing match? Probably not, but I know I won’t get beat bad. I’m confident in my kickboxing. He brings a lot more to the table than kickboxing – he hits fast, he has good movement, he is long, and he’s got good wrestling defense. The key here will be to punch when he punches and hopefully walk him into something that he doesn’t see.”

As mentioned, Varner is training both at his usual Arizona Combat Sports in Tempe as well as the new addition of The Lab in Glendale. It may have been a while for some fans, so as a refresher, Varner’s a heavy-handed boxer with strong wrestling and the majority of his wins have come by submission (11 of 19). The first two traits can be traced back to Varner’s NCAA division I wrestling background from Lock Haven University, where he was a National Collegiate Boxing Association champion too. The problem wasn’t about how sharp the weapons were, what prevented Varner from crossing over like his contemporaries Cerrone and Henderson was his diminishing internal fire for the sport, which has been rekindled.

“The thing that set me apart from them and their success was mentally they wanted to fight and I didn’t,” divulges Varner. “They wanted to be fighters and I just lost my love for the sport. It’s never been a question about ability. As far as ability is concerned, I have all the tools. I hit hard, I’m strong, I’m athletic, I have good wrestling, I have pretty good jiu-jitsu, and my striking is on point. It was always my mental game that held me back. I belong in the UFC, I belong in the top 10. Edson Barboza and UFC 146 is my chance to prove that I belong in the top 10. Not just to the fans, but I get to prove it to myself. It’s going to be a tough fight, it’s going to be a grueling fight. It could be over with one kick or one punch, but I don’t see that happening. I see this being long, painful, and torturous, but in the end my hand should get raised.”

On May 26th in Las Vegas, the former WEC champion looks to make his triumphant return in a showdown with top contender Barboza. “I’m nervous, I’m scared, I’m excited,” admits Varner, who is ready, win or lose, to give it his all for the fans and for himself. “I have all these emotions, but I’m going to go in there and fight without fear and whatever happens happens. I’m either going to come back with my shield or on it.”

A win over Barboza would be a huge step for Varner in forgetting years past and focusing on a more positive future.

Duane “Bang” Ludwig is just like you, with one exception: he’s a world renowned kickboxer and mixed martial artist.

The Denver, Colorado native is a husband, a father, a small business owner (303 Training Center in Westminster, CO), and simply a guy who wants to own a house. On the other hand, he is also the proud owner of the fastest knockout in UFC history, but that title nor the litany of Muay Thai belts that he refers to as “closet stuffers” have not altered the down-to-Earth individual he is outside of the cage, regardless of how popular he is in it.

“I still have a mortgage and car payments,” tells Ludwig. “I still live fight to fight. It’s not like I’m anything different. People who get popular in the UFC and change when they get famous, I’m not famous, but there are people who change when they get more popular, per se. Maybe it’s because they’re a fake person and they’re allowing other people’s vision to change them. Maybe I would change if I was given a million dollars, but I would doubt it. I am the same person I have always been. I sell more shirts, I sell more shorts, I have more students at the gym, I get more interview questions, and I guess it’s just a busier lifestyle than what it’s been. But it’s fun. Being more popular, I’m able to connect with more people and help out a lot more people, which is nice. I like to help out people and help out animals. It’s not about collecting more dollars and being the ‘man’. It’s about connecting with more people and spreading the martial arts knowledge and I’m happy the more I can do that.”

The 33-year old Ludwig has spent over half his life in pursuit of martial arts excellence. At 15, he began training Muay Thai as his passion, with expectations of being an electrician as his job. After tearing through the amateur circuit, Ludwig became a professional kickboxer and cagefighter in 2000 and hasn’t looked back ever since. 12 years later, he has traded fists and feet around the world with the best fighters both sports have to offer, is raising a family, aspires to open an animal rescue, and is having a blast competing with the razor sharp talent of the UFC welterweight division.

“My motivation has always been that I’m a natural fighter, I love to fight, and I love to train,” says Ludwig. “Things have changed now because I know my athletic performances in the cage directly affect my financial responsibilities, so that is a pressure that sometimes has hurt me and sometimes has helped me. But I try not to let that distract me. At the gym, I still have to train to get better and go out there and fight and have fun. It’s about exploring yourself and the self-development of who you are and your dream. There’s a win bonus and I have a family and that’s all a reality, but, at the end of the day, I have to go out there and have fun. I’m a husband and father first before I’m a fighter, but I definitely love to fight and it’s fun for me. I’d rather help somebody than punch somebody, but I don’t mind punching somebody either.”

The last person fight fans saw “Bang” sock in the kisser was the granite chinned Josh “The Dentist” Neer in the co-main event at UFC on FX in January. “I definitely felt good and definitely felt that I was getting the better of everything because I was,” remembers Ludwig, who landed shots at will before Neer scored a takedown and, shortly thereafter, a guillotine choke. Neer caught Ludwig’s exposed neck in the fight ending submission as he was pushing his way back to standing. “He got the takedown too easy. Looking back, I wish I had sat back and waited for the referee to separate us. I was too eager to fight; I’m too impatient when I fight.”

The first round loss is Ludwig’s first at 170 pounds in the UFC following two exciting decision wins over The Ultimate Fighter alum Nick Osipczak and season 7 winner Amir Sadollah. With an overall record of 29-12, “Bang” has appeared physically at his best in these past three performances, looking faster, stronger, and more dangerous than he has in years. “It’s definitely great focusing on training to be a martial artist and not just cutting weight,” says Ludwig, who walks around at 190 pounds and used to stubbornly cut down to 155 pounds for lightweight.

On Memorial Day weekend at UFC 146, the next challenger for Ludwig is a showdown with British slugger Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy, which has the proverbial “guaranteed fireworks” written all over it. “He’s a really good opponent and always comes to fight,” asserts Ludwig, who isn’t underestimating the heavy-handed Hardy because of his recent four fight losing streak. “The whole win/loss ratio is idiotic as long as you come to fight, case in point with Dan Hardy. They want you to put on a good show and that’s what he comes to do and that’s what I always come to do. Of course, everyone wants a winner, but you want good shows and we put on good shows.”

On paper, this is a matchup between standup fighters with a prodigious amount of KO/TKO victories to their name. Although true, that rough estimation severely undercuts Ludwig’s elite level kickboxing experience, which he has honed, as mentioned, for more than half his life. “Bang” didn’t win the I.S.K.A. World Title from Mongkhon Wiwasuk because he likes to grip and rip punches; Ludwig won because he’s a great and technical kickboxer. It’s a distinction that was quite evident in Ludwig’s outclassing of Sadollah last August, and he anticipates a similar result against Hardy if the fight stays on the feet.

“I’m a striker,” affirms Ludwig. “I’m one of the best strikers in all of MMA. I’m a very good striker in the striking world. I did K-1. I think overall if you matched me against not just mixed martial arts strikers, strikers in general, I would grade myself as a B+, A- of the best. That’s against the best like K-1 Max level guys. Anything can happen and I am a mixed martial artist and not just a striker. If it goes to the ground, I will be prepared. I do a lot of wrestling, a lot of jiu-jitsu. It’s in my blood to stand up and fight, so I prefer that. We’ll see what happens when the bell rings. I feel superior to most guys in striking, but Dan can take a shot and he can chuck some bombs, so I have to be alert and be on my game for sure. I’m just naturally fast and I hit hard. I’ve been doing this for a while, so you can see what’s going on before, during, and after shots to see if there are any openings going on in there. I am good at reading telegraphic keys is what I call them – I have good ‘counter eyes’. There are mistakes done before, after, and during shots and I can pick them up. I felt that in the Sadollah fight and I think I will feel that again in the Hardy fight.”

In preparation for his bout with his 23-10 (1 NC) opponent, Ludwig splits his training between two gyms: his own and Grudge Training Center. At the latter, “Bang” works with gym owner, operator, and boxing coach turned MMA coach Trevor Wittman while sharing mat time with MMA notables like Nate Marquardt and Brendan Schaub. At his own gym, Ludwig brings in Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, solid wrestlers, and has the personnel who can help keep his striking tight. No matter where he trains, Ludwig has himself, who he’s relied on most to cull his own talent by his own instincts as a fighter.

“I have to give myself the most credit in being able to just see these things,” explains Ludwig. “It’s just naturally been in me and been a part of me of being able to see shots, shots coming. I do have specific drills that I do to kind of slow things down visually and read the telegraphic keys. I would say 80% of this has been self taught from watching videos and doing what I feel like I should do. I have learned quite a bit from Trevor Wittman and I have learned quite a bit from Bas Rutten. I have been able to pick things up and pick and choose things and that’s how my fight game has evolved. I have adapted my own style or created my own style from that, so that’s been good instead of having someone tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. I just go by feeling and who I truly am instead of having someone tell me what I am. I go by what I feel, which is more natural.”

On May 26th in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, two MMA welterweights will collide inside the Octagon, but everyone watching will have their fingers crossed that “Bang” and “The Outlaw” keep it standing and just throw. “I think I’m better at wrestling and jiu-jitsu than him, but when that bell rings and I get hit, I bite the end of my mouthpiece and I chuck bombs – that’s just what I do,” states Ludwig, who remains true to himself as a fighter in the cage or ring, and as a nice guy outside of it.

In conclusion, “Bang” is a typical family man trying to make ends meet seeing the shots coming and firing back with a mean counterpunch. Sort of like all of us.

Who is the Strikeforce success story?

Posed with this question, fight fans will scour their memories of the rich history of athletes who have made their mark in the promotion, and most will likely answer Nick Diaz followed by Cung Le. The former went 6-0 inside the Strikeforce cage, fought and won in two different weight divisions, and left the organization as the undefeated and three-time defending welterweight champion. The latter’s four-year stretch saw Le go 7-1, including winning the middleweight belt, having all his in-cage performances happen in the company’s home of San Jose, California, while his lone defeat against Scott Smith was avenged in Le’s final outing before joining the UFC.

It is difficult to argue with either claim of being the quintessential Strikeforce sensation, but, with a possible victory in the May 19th main event against Josh Barnett to declare the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner, the unparalleled Cinderella story of the organization’s mighty tenure could be Daniel Cormier.

“A lot of people have talked to me about the fight, but they’ve kind of missed that point,” says Cormier. “It means a lot to me. My very first fight was in Strikeforce on the Challengers series. The opportunity to finish with this Grand Prix and as the number one heavyweight in this organization, it is something that I could not have guessed or even imagined. It means so much to me that at the end of this thing I could be the Strikeforce Grand Prix Champion. That really means so much to me because I really appreciate Scott Coker and everyone at Strikeforce for even believing in me and giving me the original opportunity that they did. It’s awesome for me to be a guy who started in the Challengers series and, if I’m good enough, I could win this championship. It’s an unbelievable achievement for a guy that sat at my friend’s house two and a half to three years ago in the Summer of 2009 watching Jon Fitch fight at UFC 100 after watching Georges St-Pierre and Brock Lesnar and saying, ‘Next week I’m heading up to [American Kickboxing Academy] to visit.’ To think in three years time I’m about to fight Josh Barnett in the Strikeforce Grand Prix finals, it’s unbelievable how far this journey has taken me in such a short period of time. That’s the thing that I think makes mixed martial arts so special.”

It’s not shocking that Cormier has won, and only won, in his adopted sport, but it is surprising how he has won, how he has evolved, how quickly this has all happened, and how eerily similar Cormier’s fighting style resembles that of one of the greatest MMA heavyweights ever: Fedor Emelianenko. As an All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University who devoured medals in international wrestling tournaments throughout the 2000s and who was a two-time member of the US Olympic Freestyle wrestling team, Cormier seemed like a natural fit to make the transition to caged combat, even when he did it at 30 years old. Again, Cormier’s ability to use his obvious athletic talent and wrestling experience to defeat opponents is only part of it. The real story is that Cormier doesn’t fight like a wrestler in flux; Cormier looks like a polished veteran who has been cagefighting his whole life.

In two years, Cormier won all nine of his fights, with four by knockout, three by submission, and two by decision. A couple W’s on Strikeforce’s unofficial developmental shows were followed by winning back-to-back heavyweight belts in smaller organizations, and he punctuated 2010 with two first round drubbings of opponents who submitted due to punches. A microcosm of his already abbreviated MMA career can be seen in Cormier’s three masterful wins in 2011 in Strikeforce, with the latter two happening in the Grand Prix tournament.

“I think athletically 2011 would probably be the first or second most successful year of my career,” asserts Cormier. “I think 2004 when I made my first Olympic team was probably the most successful year competitively. But 2011 ranks right up there. I fought some very tough guys. You have to remember I fought Jeff Monson who had 50 some odd fights, I fought Devin Cole who had almost 40 some odd fights, and ‘Bigfoot’ Silva has roughly 20 fights, so I fought guys who in total have 100 fights and I was fighting them at my 7, 8, and 9th fights. Just that in itself. The amount of respect I have for those guys, the amount of success they have had, and the amount of fights they have had, so each win was huge for me.”

The Lafayette, Louisiana native began 2011 with two dominant decisions over battle-hardened and well-traveled opponents: Devin Cole and Jeff Monson. In January, Cormier threw everything including the kitchen sink at Cole in the first round, put on a wrestling clinic in the second, and cruise controlled his way to a 30-27 victory in the third. In June, Cormier put a striking showcase on Monson with leg, body, and head kicks as well as punching combinations which left “The Snowman” bloody. The win over Monson set up Cormier for easily his toughest test, a Grand Prix semi-finals showdown with the then 18-2 Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

“I had a whole bunch of nerves and a whole bunch of excitement for the chance to compete at such a high level,” remembers Cormier. “I have so much respect for Antonio Silva that when I found out we were fighting, I put myself through the ringer. I trained harder than I ever had until that point because I had so much respect for him and I knew I had to train my ass off for him. I was excited and nipping at the bud. I have a pretty solid routine come fight day. I’m in bed all day, I’m listening to my music, I have my iPad, I have the room all dark, and I try to take naps. But I was so nervous. I had to have my manager Bob Cook come into my room and have to stop me from shadow boxing. He was saying to me, ‘You have to calm down. You need to relax.’ He had to come into my room and settle me down because I was so excited at the opportunity to fight at a high level. It was crazy. It was a challenge the whole day to control myself and control my emotions.”

Change in his daily routine aside, once in the cage that night, Cormier looked to be on another level than his highly regarded Brazilian opponent. Cormier deftly landed punch after punch on Silva like his fists were magnetically drawn to the chin of “Bigfoot” and he easily dismissed a takedown attempt from Silva for good measure. All told, Cormier literally punched his own ticket to the Grand Prix finals by knocking out Silva in just shy of four minutes.

“I felt good,” humbly admits Cormier. “Not only did I feel confident in myself, but I gained a whole new level of confidence in my training, my partners, my coaches, and everybody who was supportive and confident that I could do it. Figuratively and literally, I was looking at a tall task, but they did not question at any point whether or not I could win that fight. For the fight to go the way it did, it did really exceed all expectations. I was really expecting a long, drawn out, hard fight, but it didn’t turn out that way. It really is a testament to all the work I put in at the gym.”

Up next for Cormier is a battle with catch-wrestling poster boy Barnett on Saturday in sunny San Jose. As mentioned, this bout is not only special for its main event status and it being the culmination of the Strikeforce Grand Prix heavyweight tournament, but this is also expected to be the penultimate heavyweight fight in Strikeforce history, as the rest of the division has been consolidated into the UFC. One could easily draw comparisons from this high stakes finale of Barnett versus Cormier and the ultimate WEC bout between Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and Benson “Smooth” Henderson for the WEC lightweight championship. Besides those surrounding details, Cormier knows without a doubt he is facing about the most dangerous opponent he could ever choose in the 31-5, perennially top 10 ranked Barnett.

“I think Josh is a great opponent,” affirms Cormier. “He’s very durable. He’s very crafty. He’s fought at the top of this sport for a very longtime. He was a UFC champ, he was in the finals of the PRIDE Grand Prix, on top of countless accomplishments he’s had over his career. I think it’s time. I started doing MMA to compete at the highest levels like I did at wrestling. Standing across the cage from Josh Barnett shows me that I have arrived. There are not many guys in the room who have a resume like Josh Barnett. I think he’s one of the best of all time and it’s an honor to fight him. When you see a guy like that you know you need to focus on your wrestling. Not only is it about your takedown defense in the moment, but being in wrestling shape and ready to defend takedowns for 25 minutes if you need to, while you’re getting punched and while you’re getting kicked.”

To prepare for the 6’4” and 260 pound battler dubbed “The Warmaster”, Cormier is busy training with the same group of guys at the same gym that got him to the dance: American Kickboxing Academy. “All of my training partners are in-house from AKA and I do the majority of my stuff with Cain Velasquez – we spar, we wrestle, and we do jiu-jitsu,” explains Cormier, who hones his MMA game day-in-and-day-out against the former UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez, who is preparing for his own tussle with “Bigfoot” Silva. “I also fight Mike Kyle, Kyle Kingsbury, and Todd Duffee. I’ve had the best training camp I ever could have possibly imagined. I have had great partners and my coaches are there for me wholeheartedly.”

Although he is completely concentrating on his date with Barnett, it’s difficult to not picture what the future holds for Cormier in terms of a seemingly eventual move to the UFC’s Octagon. “There’s really no mystery to it anymore because if everyone else is there you would assume that me stepping into this tournament and making it to the finals, I’m 6-0 in Strikeforce, and with a win I’m 7-0 in Strikeforce, so you would think I would get a chance,” estimates Cormier, who would be a welcome addition to the renaissance the weight class is currently having in the UFC. “Logic tells me I am going to and I’m really excited for it, but it just depends on where. If I win this fight, then I go into the UFC a lot closer to the top of the division. But it’s really hard to think about that when you have someone as good as Josh Barnett in front of you, so I’m not getting too excited for it because I don’t want to lose focus on the task at hand.”

On May 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, Cormier will tangle with Barnett to crown the Grand Prix champion. “I know that when that cage door closes, I’m going to bring it hard for 25 minutes if I have to and I know he’s going to do the same thing,” states Cormier, who entered Strikeforce with only his status as a two-time Olympian and a dozen plus wrestling titles to his name. Now he has the chance to leave as the best in the company. “When you put something so valuable on the line, like the Strikeforce Grand Prix championship on the line and possibly going into the UFC as a top five ranked heavyweight in the world, that’s like hanging a deer in front of two lions. If you have that great of an opportunity and you don’t attack it then you’ll never be able to live with yourself afterward. My feet can’t get me there fast enough.”

That’s not only the Strikeforce success story, Cormier is the MMA success story.

The short story on UFC lightweight Jeremy Stephens is a change in training camps has brought about a reinvigorated and retooled fighter who is ready to give his best performance against arguably his biggest opponent to date: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

The long story regarding “Lil’ Heathen” began immediately following the split decision loss to Anthony “Showtime” Pettis at UFC 136 last October. Many expected a strikers’ duel between the young knockout artists, but instead received a wrestlers’ struggle as the pair traded takedowns instead of haymakers. It was an awkward outing that Stephens is happy to move on from and has made strides to make sure to never duplicate it. In the wake of the least inspired and least exciting Octagon appearance of his career, Stephens knew a drastic change had to be made to his fighting life, both in and out of the cage, which resulted in the Midwesterner relocating to the California coast to become the newest member of Alliance MMA.

“I told the guys after my last fight I needed to mix it up,” remembers Stephens. “I said I was going to make the move out there and get a house closer to the gym, so I could be around those guys more. I’m a man of my word and I did it. I had a long talk with Coach Eric Del Fierro one night and he was like, ‘What’s on your mind? You didn’t seem like you when you fought.’ I told him there were a lot of things going on in my mind and I wasn’t prepared mentally for that fight. I had a good camp, no excuses, but I didn’t get my head into that fight. We had a long talk about that and what I needed to work on. I had talks with Dominick [Cruz] with him being a good friend and a good training partner for quite some time. I had some talks with him and Del Fierro, and I had to make the move. I decided it was best for me, my career, my family, and my future to make another step and that’s what I did. I went from Iowa to San Diego and to training with the best team out there.”

At 25 years old, “Lil’ Heathen” is making a fresh start with a new team in the lead up to his 14th bout inside the Octagon. Previously, the junior veteran has racked up seven wins in the UFC, including a Fight of the Night victory over Sam Stout and three highlight reel “Knockout of the Night” bonuses. On the flip side, Stephens has acquired six losses, which have been the momentum killers that have kept the heavy-handed battler from being listed among the 155-pound elite. Under the tutelage of a different, but highly regarded, coach and being pushed by premium training partners, Stephens is poised to break through to the top 10 of his weight class with a win at UFC on FUEL TV 3.

“I feel like going over to Team Alliance is really bringing me back to my roots,” tells Stephens. “I feel like Eric Del Fierro is an awesome coach and a really good game planner. He knows what buttons to push and knows what your weaknesses are. He really is dedicated to his team and I really like that. I really like all the guys that are on the team. Iron sharpens iron and that’s what I really needed. I needed a group of guys – a team – really pushing me. Being over there has helped me out a lot. It’s taken me out of my comfort zone. I was getting too comfortable where I was at. I needed guys who could kick my ass and were better than me and on the same track. Guys with the same mentalities, same goals, there are a lot of different weight classes, there are guys from the UFC, guys from other countries like England and Sweden coming over, and just guys who are beasts in the gym. It’s a really good team and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Don’t worry, the endearing head-hunting style of Stephens is not going anywhere, and is only looking to be evolved further with Del Fierro’s insistence. “Starting to hit pads with Eric, he makes me pressure him a lot because I’m a pressure fighter,” explains Stephens, whose third round knockouts of Marcus Davis and Rafael dos Anjos are enormous fan favorites, and serve as proof of the power and “never quit” attitude that makes him a potential force in the division. “I’m constantly moving my feet, constantly stalking him down, reacting. I’m not thinking as much as I’m reacting off of combinations that Cerrone throws. Even if I only have two seconds left, I know if I throw a combination I can knock you out.”

No one has documented this physical and emotional maturation of Stephens better than himself. Besides tweets and status updates, Stephens regularly posts video blogs on Youtube  (youtube.com/lilheathenmma) that give fans an in-depth look at him in the gym working to get better or relaxing with friends trying to unwind from the grind. At the heart of it, Stephens is embracing what social media was made for, which is transparency and access. For added interest, he has also been directing and starring in his most recent entries with a spectacular “rat tail” haircut.

“In life and throughout fighting, I was kind of growing up inside the Octagon,” reveals Stephens. “I had some bad managers in the past who were ripping me off and taking advantage of me because I was young and getting bonuses. I had a manager try to sue me, and that lasted forever. I had to go back to court in Iowa during the Anthony Pettis camp. That’s all behind me now. I have a really good manager now, Ryan Haas. I’ve been with him two to three years and he’s an amazing guy who is behind me and goes above and beyond what other managers do. He told me to start blogging and taking advantage of marketing myself, and he built me a website and did stuff for me that in the past managers never spoke to me about. He told me, ‘You live an exciting life. You have really good character and are a really good kid and you can inspire a lot of people.’ So, I started doing these blogs. First it was kind of different for me. As we went along, I had a really good friend of mine with me and we went around and were constantly blogging and it became natural to me to talk about the foods I was eating, my training, and just joking around every day. I get a lot of feedback from the fans. I enjoy doing it. It inspires people and helps people out and I like to be a part of that.”

Up next for Stephens is a showdown at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia with former WEC star and current emerging UFC contender Cerrone on Tuesday. The Greg Jackson protégé cut a blue streak through the lightweight talent pool, winning four out of five fights in 2011, and netting four bonuses in the process. After nailing victories over Paul Kelly in February clear to Dennis Siver in late October, he finally tasted defeat at the hands of Nate Diaz at UFC 141. Cerrone is a long and lean kickboxer who has a penchant for using his lankiness on the ground to secure chokes. If Stephens wants to punch his ticket to the front of the weight class, then there is no one better to prove himself against than “Cowboy”.

“Cerrone as a fighter – he’s a beast,” admits Stephens. “He’s a gangster. He comes forward a lot, he pressures a lot. He shows up to fight every time. He’s from a really good camp. Probably a lot of guys don’t want to fight a guy like Cerrone. For me, it’s an honor to fight him. We’re both awesome, we both kick ass, and we both come to fight. That’s what people want to see and those are the fights I want. You wake up every day knowing that if you’re fighting a guy like Donald Cerrone you have to get your ass to the gym and train as hard as you can because you know he’s doing the same thing. I think we both have a lot of respect for each other, we both are coming off a loss, we’re both hungry to get back to a top position, and you’re going to see two warriors go at it for 15 minutes of non-stop action. 15 minutes is a short period of time, but there’s going to be a lot of fireworks, a lot of exchanges, and expect to see probably one of the best fights you’ve ever seen.”

With only a few defeats to his name, Cerrone’s resume does not provoke a lot of confidence from his would-be opponents. There is something that Stephens has in common with the losses on his opponent’s record: devastating punches. The Iowa native has an explosive element with his fists that easily rivals any in the weight class, and he is not afraid to stand in the pocket and sling leather. Stephens has the confidence that he can use those strengths of his against Cerrone and be effective against his foe’s strengths when he tries to use his technical striking and reach advantage. Lastly, Cerrone has a tendency to let his temper rise and gloves lower and exchange in a brawl, which is where Stephens’ knuckled knockout power will happily trade blows.

“Honestly, overall I think I’m a bad matchup stylistically for Donald Cerrone,” says Stephens. “I think he’s a good kickboxer and probably even has better kickboxing than me. But I feel like my hands are more devastating, more explosive, faster, and I have that power where I can knock you out with either hand. He has stumbled in the past with guys with good hands, boxing skills, and good explosiveness in and out. His kickboxing is really good and I don’t want to stay in his range on the outside. I want to stay outside of his range and when I come in, I want to be exploding and pressuring him with my hands for the whole 15 minutes. I can expect a takedown from Cerrone. I’ve seen him go for takedowns on guys with good hands when he has trouble with them. His wrestling is not bad either and his ground game, he’s got a couple good submissions. But I don’t think he’s going to be able to take me down or submit me. I think it’s going to be a standup war. But I know I have to expect the unexpected. Once he gets hit, I think he’s going to switch up the gameplan and try to stay on the outside or go for takedowns and try to put me up against the cage. I’m not a points-based fighter; my gameplan is always to rip your head off.”

On May 15th, “Lil’ Heathen” clashes with “Cowboy” in a lightweight barnburner. “I want to show not just to the fans, but to myself as well, that when you hit a bump in the road and you get knocked down to not give up because you can dig a little deeper and come back stronger than ever,” states Stephens, who has a new team and new coaches, but still has the same goals: win fights and do it with authority. “Now after that loss, I’m starving, I’m hungry, I’m ready for a war, I’m focused, I’m out of my comfort zone, I’m training with the best people, and you guys should be ready to see the best Jeremy Stephens you’ve ever seen against probably the best Donald Cerrone you’ve ever seen. It’s an exciting matchup and I’m excited everyday to wake up and train for a guy like Donald Cerrone. The fans are going to get what they deserve.”

The long and short of it, if Stephens and Cerrone bring their usual heat, then the Patriot Center should expect nothing less than an MMA inferno worthy of a Fight of the Night bonus.