UFC on Versus 5 Results: Duane Ludwig Outclasses Amir Sadollah

Emanating from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, UFC on Versus 5 started off with a bang!!

The opening bout of the televised portion pit veteran Duane “Bang” Ludwig against TUF 7 winner, Amir Sadollah. Both fighters were thirsty for a victory: Sadollah to shoot up the welterweight ladder, Ludwig to show he still belongs.

Amir Sadollah, who fights out of Throwdown Elite Training, won The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 with no professional experience and absolutely no wrestling background by way of an armbar submission over a tough C.B. Dollaway.

Sadollah has shown formidable jiu-jitsu prowess while continuously improving his Muay Thai striking, as evidenced by landing the most leg kicks in a round against Peter Sobotta and forcing DaMarques Johnson to submit to elbow strikes.

This was to be the fight to test Sadollah’s striking against a two-time world kickboxing champion.

Duane “Bang” Ludwig is a veteran of over 30 mixed martial arts competitions as well as a multiple-time world champion kickboxer. Ludwig, though not a great wrestler, displayed good takedown defense; however, it is the upper echelon striking Ludwig possesses that makes “Bang” a task for any opponent.

Ludwig was able to bounce back from injury and two straight losses against Jim Miller and Darren Elkins with a split-decision victory over Nick Osipczak. A loss against Sadollah could have proven detrimental to Ludwig’s career in the UFC.

Amir Sadollah was unable to pass the test, while Duane Ludwig showed us what high-level striking is all about.

For three rounds, Ludwig beat Sadollah to the punch with crisp counters and powerful left hooks. Ludwig owned the clinch, sinking in hard knees to the body of the fading Amir Sadollah. Ludwig slowed for a short while in the third, giving Sadollah the opportunity to land some strong leg kicks and a number of crisp teeps--one clean to the face of Ludwig.

In the end, Sadollah could not muster an answer to the more technical striking of Duane Ludwig, dropping a unanimous 30-27 decision to the Grudge Training fighter.

Duane Ludwig now has two solid wins in a row and will be looking to make some noise at 170 pounds.

For Amir Sadollah, he will have to go back to the drawing board and get a little more snap into his striking. At times, Sadollah looked like he was punching in slow motion. However, Sadollah can certainly bounce back from this loss.