Team Alpha Male parting ways with head coach Duane 'Bang' Ludwig
Coach Duane 'Bang' Ludwig and Team Alpha Male will part ways after working together for the better part of the last year and a half.
Sources close to the camp confirmed Ludwig's exit with FOX Sports on Wednesday. The news of Ludwig's exit was first reported on Twitter earlier in the day, although full details about the split are still not yet available.
Ludwig will still be part of the team until May when they fill the vacancy for the head coaching position. Team Alpha Male posted a job listing on their website on Wednesday looking for applicants for the head coaching position where it's stated the new job would start no later than May 24.
Ludwig joined the Sacramento based team in December 2012 after retiring from active competition in his own MMA career. Under Ludwig's tutelage, the team of fighters consisting of several notable UFC competitors including Urijah Faber, Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes and TJ Dillashaw, found a lot of success out of the former kickboxer and Muay Thai instructor.
The team went undefeated under Ludwig's leadership for the first nine months with him as head coach. Ludwig also earned several 'coach of the year' and 'trainer of the year' awards while working with Team Alpha Male.
Despite those accolades, the fighters from Team Alpha Male still came up short in their two most recent title fights with Joseph Benavidez falling to Demetrious Johnson in December and team leader Urijah Faber to Renan Barao in February.
The team is now actively searching for a new head coach to fill the vacancy. Ludwig did not immediately return messages from FOX Sports on Wednesday about his exit from the team.
