Matt Brown adds Duane 'Bang' Ludwig to his team ahead of UFC 206
Matt Brown has never been happier with the team surrounding him than the fighters and coaches he's worked with since relocating to Denver to train at the MusclePharm gym.
For the past year, Brown has been learning under coaches like Eliot Marshall while training alongside fighters like former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw and fellow welterweight contender Neil Magny.
Just recently, Brown added another piece to the puzzle by beginning work with former UFC fighter turned award winning coach Duane "Bang" Ludwig.
Ludwig came to prominence as a coach a few years ago when he took over the program at Team Alpha Male and went on an incredible undefeated streak while leading fighters like Dillashaw to the promise land where he became a UFC champion.
Ludwig eventually left the team to start his own gym at home in Colorado but Dillashaw soon followed as well as two-time UFC title contender Joseph Benavidez, who also relocated to the area part time while training for his upcoming fights.
Now Brown is the latest fighter to call upon Ludwig's expertise as he prepares for his upcoming bout at UFC 206 against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
"I'm working with Duane Ludwig a lot more. I think he's added a lot to the whole atmosphere and situation. I'm really happy about that," Brown told FOX Sports.
"I think he's amazing. The big thing about him that I like is that he's obsessed with this game. That's a good feeling for someone to have the same passion that you do. If you look at this as a business, a fight as a business, the analogy is if you're starting a business you can never find someone that cares about the business as you do. That's why it's so hard to start a business because you have to put so much into it yourself because no one else is going to give as much as you do."
According to Brown, he's found a coach that's just as obsessed about his success in Ludwig, who is a constant student of the game while pouring hours into training as well as video study to get his fighters ready for battle.
Brown is very similar in his own mindset where he's always preparing for his upcoming fight in some way, form or fashion. He might be training or he might just be reading a book, but it's all meant for the sole purpose of winning on the night he steps into the Octagon.
Brown says Ludwig is built the same way and that's what has made him such an asset to fighters like Dillashaw in the past and why he's now proud to call him a coach as well.
"When I look at that with Duane, I actually feel like he's giving as much as I am," Brown said. "That's a really good feeling to know that someone cares that much. I don't know him as well as Joseph (Benavidez) or TJ (Dillashaw) but it feels like it goes beyond just a business deal or business situation. He truly enjoys the fight."
Brown has always looked to add different elements to his training camps to truly get better for every, single fight, which is part of the reason why he relocated to Denver in the first place.
Now he's got another weapon to add to the arsenal with Ludwig as part of his team while also serving as one of his corner men for this weekend's fight in Toronto.
"There's so much to this game it drives me crazy when people think they're already there or they've reached the pinnacle of everything they can learn. There's always more to learn. There's always more to absorb. Duane comes across to me as that type of guy," Brown explained. "He's always learning more, training more and he's still strategizing and breaking new things down and figuring things out.
"He's a true martial artist and has made a great transition to coaching. I think he's going to be a great addition to my team to help take me to the next level."
