Duane “Bang” Ludwig’s promotion to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt carried real significance for the former UFC competitor.
Ludwig started grappling as a teenager, training in Colorado during the sport’s early growth in the United States, and went on to work with respected coaches across years of competing in both MMA and kickboxing.
Though best known for his striking, he also built a strong submission record, finishing 14 of his 15 career wins across a wide range of techniques.
And so for Ludwig, Jiu-Jitsu represents a uniquely honest test of ability:
Jiu-Jitsu is the ultimate truth, because there’s no lying on the mats and you could do 100% full bore on the mat every day and find out exactly what you’re made of, what they’re made of and what the ultimate truth is.
In his view, no other martial art tests a person’s skill, composure, and character as directly:
Unless you’re actually fully expressing yourself in combat, you don’t know exactly where you stand.
Ludwig also framed the black belt as a new kind of responsibility, rather than simply a technical milestone – describing it as a tool to help others grow:
It means having a tool to teach someone the coordination of themselves, to stay in shape, to defend themselves, to protect themselves and or others.
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