Despite Several Setbacks, Both Duane "Bang" Ludwig and Joe "Daddy" Stevenson Will Remain UFC Employees

The ufc’s increasingly competitive nature has been the subject of much debate recently. UFC President Dana White has, as always, been brash and single-minded in his views: he believes that a UFC performer should perform at his best and give his all in each and every single fight, or else he won’t be a UFC performer for long. This has led to the recent high-profile firings of talent like Todd Duffee, Efrain Escudero, and Gerald Harris. But recently, despite their up-and-down careers, word recently came down that the UFC has decided to retain the services of both Duane Ludwig and Joe Stevenson. Here are all the details.

MMA Weekly brings word that Duane “Bang” Ludwig has signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC after winning his return fight against Nick Osipczak (who has since been released) at the recent UFC 122: “Marquardt vs. Okami” event. “Bang” returned to action after taking half a year off to heal a gruesome ankle injury he suffered in March. Ludwig is a UFC and Strikeforce veteran, and has gone 2-2 in his last four bouts.

MMA Weekly also reveals that one-time UFC Lightweight Championship contender Joe “Daddy” Stevenson will not be cut from the UFC despite his recent KO loss to Mac Danzig at last week’s UFC 124: “St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2” event. Stevenson is now on a two-fight losing streak, but according to UFC President Dana White, the entertaining style of “Daddy” and his willingness to engage is what ultimately led Dana to decide to keep him employed. In fact, Dana had this to say regarding the situation: “We like guys that fight, we like guys that come in and lay it on the line… He got knocked out trying to knock (Danzig) out tonight… I respect him, Joe (Silva) respects him, we like him and I wouldn’t say he’s getting cut, no.”

I’m honestly glad that both these men will remain UFC fighters. I think it’s true that both men have had a rough patch lately and have faced numerous setbacks and several difficult losses. But first and foremost, they remain two entertaining fighters and two veterans of the sport. When combined, they boast over two decades of experience and over seventy professional MMA fights.

I can’t say I’m a fan of Ludwig, since I simply don’t follow him that often, but I can certainly respect the man. And he earned even more of my respect when he came back from the serious injury he had to endure, which has got to be one of the most gruesome injuries of the entire calendar year. I can’t say for certain what the future holds for Ludwig, but I think the man deserves a chance, and I’m glad the UFC is giving one to him.

I can say, however, that I’ve followed Joe Stevenson for quite some time and I’ve always enjoyed watching him fight. I didn’t hide the fact that I was really pulling for him to beat Danzig at UFC 124. Stevenson has an incredible amount of heart and has displayed some admirable skill in his long years spent battling it out in the Octagon. Hopefully he gets back to his winning ways, preferably in a big way, sooner rather than later.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think about the UFC keeping Ludwig and Stevenson around?