Knife Fights

It's been a while since I saw this movie, but I've always thought the knife vs sword duel in the darkened room was the best photgraphed knife fight I've ever seen. Great way for a knife fighter to neutralize the reach advantage of a sword over a knife.

Regarding the duel between Studnevant and Bowie where they had their wrists tied together; Studnevant was not a bad guy; what caused the duel?