MMA News

Tag: kickboxing

  • “Together We Did The Impossible” – MMA World Tributes Coach Duke Roufus Following His Passing

    “Together We Did The Impossible” – MMA World Tributes Coach Duke Roufus Following His Passing

    The martial arts community, including prominent names throughout the world of MMA, are pouring out their respects to famed coach Duke Roufus, who passed away in his sleep on the evening of October 16. He was 55 years old.

    Scott Joffe, a head coach at Roufusport — the gym established by he, Roufus, and Anthony Pettis — confirmed the news of Roufus’ passing in a statement on his Facebook page.

    “Duke was more than a celebrated trainer and champion kickboxer — he was a mentor, innovator, father and friend whose influence transformed the landscape of mixed martial arts,” Joffe said. “His knowledge, charisma, and passion inspired countless fighters to reach heights they never imagined possible. From world champions to first-day students, everyone who crossed his path felt his genuine care and unwavering belief in their potential. His loss leaves an irreplaceable void in the sport and in the hearts of all who knew him.

    “Though we grieve deeply, Roufusport MMA Academy will continue forward, driven by Duke’s enduring philosophy and commitment to excellence. The culture he built — rooted in respect, hard work, and family — will live on through the fighters, coaches, and students who proudly carry his torch. His impact will echo in every strike, every lesson, and every victory that bears the Roufusport name. Champions. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.”

    MMA World Pays Respects To Duke Roufus

    Roufus competed in kickboxing for 20 years, winning a number of super heavyweight championships during the 1990s.

    He then went on to coach some of the most legendary names in the sport of MMA, including Anthony Pettis, Sergio Pettis, Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Stephan Bonnar, Paul Felder, among others. Roufusport also served as the camp for WWE’s CM Punk during his UFC stint from 2014-2018.

  • Acclaimed Coach Duke Roufus Passes Away At 55

    Acclaimed Coach Duke Roufus Passes Away At 55

    Duke Roufus (real name Jeffrey Roufus), one of the most prominent striking coaches in martial arts and the founder of the Roufusport gym, has passed away at the age of 55.

    According to a statement on social media by Scott Joffe, a head coach at Roufusport, Roufus passed away in his sleep on the evening of October 16.

    “Today, the Roufusport family and martial arts world was stunned by the heartbreaking news that Duke Roufus, world-renowned top MMA coach, founder, and namesake of Roufusport MMA Academy, passed away peacefully in his sleep,” the statement read. “Duke was more than a celebrated trainer and champion kickboxer — he was a mentor, innovator, father and friend whose influence transformed the landscape of mixed martial arts. His knowledge, charisma, and passion inspired countless fighters to reach heights they never imagined possible.

    “From world champions to first-day students, everyone who crossed his path felt his genuine care and unwavering belief in their potential. His loss leaves an irreplaceable void in the sport and in the hearts of all who knew him.”

    No cause of death is currently known.

    Renowned Striking Coach Duke Roufus Passes Away

    Beginning his martial arts training at a young age, Roufus, the younger brother of kickboxing hall of famer Rick “The Jet” Roufus, went on to have a 20-year professional kickboxing career.

    Roufus won a number of super heavyweight championships in the discipline during the 1990s, including championships with the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF), the ISKA, and the World Kickboxing Association (WKA).

    Though he initially retired on a full-time basis from competitive kickboxing in 2002, his last kickboxing contest came in March 2008, scoring a unanimous decision win over Lawson Baker.

    Roufus, alongside Joffe and Anthony Pettis, opened up Roufusport, with Roufus going on to become one a well-known name as a striking coach across martial arts, including the world of MMA.

    Some of Roufus’ most famous students have included the likes of Anthony and Sergio Pettis, Stephan Bonnar, Paul Felder, Jens Pulver, Ben Askren, and Tyron Woodley. WWE’s CM Punk also trained at Roufusport during his brief stint in MMA during the mid-2010s.

  • Carlos Ulberg Comments On The Recent Success Of Kickboxers In MMA: ‘It’s A Universal Language’

    Carlos Ulberg Comments On The Recent Success Of Kickboxers In MMA: ‘It’s A Universal Language’

    City Kickboxing’s Carlos Ulberg looks to earn his seventh win in a row inside the Octagon this weekend when he returns in Macau to face former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. The #10-ranked contender at light heavyweight is one of many fighters from his gym and on the UFC roster as a whole that came into the sport with a background in kickboxing.

    Kickboxing has always been a well represented skill set in MMA but for a long time, a lot of these specialist strikers tended to have a cap on their capabilities. It was only the ones that were able to really improve their overall game who achieved a lot of success at the highest level.

    The likes of Ulberg’s teammate Israel Adesanya and the champion of his weight class, Alex Pereira, have shown what is possible for elite level strikers that are able to adapt their games for the Octagon. In a recent interview with Kevin Iole ahead of his return this weekend, Ulberg spoke about the growing number of kickboxers and the success they have in MMA.

    He believes that the main difference is that there is far more emphasis now on creating a skillset for MMA, rather than being a striker with some wrestling and jiu-jitsu added on. This can also be seen with Adesanya saying that other kickboxers from his gym like Navajo Stirling are more well-rounded than he is because they’ve adopted this approach earlier on.

    “A lot more attention is going to MMA in particular. There is not one particular where everyone’s just got a few more tricks now to present themselves with and I feel like if you don’t have the full package then you’re not going to go very far in the division.

    “It’s a universal language when it comes to MMA right now where you kind of have to build all of your skill set in terms of your grappling as well as your stand up game.”