Roufusport

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Roufusport
Roufusports.png
Est.2006
Founded byDuke Roufus
Primary ownersDuke Roufus
Scott Joffe
Anthony Pettis[1]
Primary trainersDuke Roufus
Raufeon Stots
Anthony Pettis
Scott Cushman
Craig Eckelberg
Past titleholdersAnthony Pettis
Tyron Woodley
Jens Pulver
Rose Namajunas
Ben Askren
Training facilitiesMilwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
WebsiteOfficial Website

Roufusport (also known as Roufusport MMA Academy) is a mixed martial arts gym based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Known as one of the top gyms in MMA,[2][3] it has produced two former UFC champions, Anthony Pettis (former UFC Lightweight Champion)[4][5] and Tyron Woodley (former UFC Welterweight Champion).[6][7]

Background[]

Duke Roufus was a former professional kickboxer who retired in 2002. In 2006 he founded Roufusport in his dad's basement as a kickboxing team to train with,[8] and later in 2012 Anthony Pettis join the business as the co-owner of Roufusport.[9]

At the start, Roufusport had two basic problems with the first one being disorganization. There were structural challenges to coaching MMA as back then the sport was still relatively new and there wasn't a formal structure in places compared to other sports like Amateur Wrestling.[8] The second problem was perceived bullying at the gym where training sessions were said to be very intense for certain members to a point it could be considered abuse.[8] In addition in 2014, Roufusport had the highest rates of injuries amongst MMA camps.[10] Criticism of Roufusports was high during the same year when the death of Dennis Munson Jr. occurred and both the gym and Duke Roufus were blamed for the incident.[11]

However, despite criticisms, the gym has managed to persevere to remain as one of the top MMA gyms[2][3] that has trained many high level fighters. Two of its fighters have gone onto to win UFC champions while training with Roufusport. They are Anthony Pettis[4][5] and Tyron Woodley.[6][7]

Controversy over the death of Dennis Munson Jr.[]

On 28 March 2014, Dennis Munson Jr., an amateur kickboxer from Roufus' gym, Roufusport, died after taking part in a bout promoted by Roufus.[12] The bout took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the fighters were not required to wear protective headgear.[12] Munson's recorded cause of death by the Milwaukee County medical examiner was head trauma.[13] Dehydration caused by the fighter cutting weight up to and including the day of the fight, was considered a potential contributing factor.[14]

Munson's two cornermen were his coaches from the Roufusport gym, and as the event promoter, Roufus appointed the ringside doctor, referee and other officials. It was Munson's first fight.[12]

Video footage of the bout circulated widely. It was noted despite Munson showing signs of having difficulty returning to his corner, the staff including the doctor did not engage in administrating medical assistance until it was too late when Munson collapse in the ring.[15] Munsun arrived at the hospital where he died a few hours later. After Munson's death, Roufus was publicly criticized by experts in the sport for his promotional practices, and the decisions and actions of the officials and Munson's cornermen at the bout. He was further criticized by several past students and past Roufousport staff for his treatment of students, behavior and management style at Roufusport gym.[11][15]

In 2017, the family of Dennis Munson Jr filed a lawsuit against Roufusport and several staff that were part of the bout. It alleged those responsible for Munson's safety failed in their duty to protect him during the unregulated bout.[16] The lawsuit was fully settled with all parties in 2020.[17]

Notable fighters[]

See also[]

  • List of Top Professional MMA Training Camps

References[]

  1. ^ "Anthony Pettis Becomes Co-Owner of Roufusport in Wisconson | MMAWeekly.com". 5 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b CNN; Sports, Yahoo!; Sports, F. O. X.; StarSports, ESPN; Times, Tokyo; Authorities, Many Other Leading; planet, Evolve MMA aims to deliver the best martial arts instruction available anywhere on the (2016-03-13). "Gyms Around The World: Roufusport Mixed Martial Arts Academy - Evolve Daily". Evolve MMA Singapore. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  3. ^ a b "Top 10 Best MMA Gyms in 2019 for MMA training". sportskeeda. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b c "Roufusport: Home of Champions". MyMMANews.com. 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  5. ^ a b c "Fight Path: WEC's Anthony Pettis found MMA after father's tragic death | MMAjunkie.com". 14 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14.
  6. ^ a b c "Woodley: Lawler is not the boogeyman". ABC News.
  7. ^ a b c Al-Shatti, Shaun (3 November 2016). "Woodley changes tune after training with Northcutt". MMA Fighting.
  8. ^ a b c Thomas, Luke (2014-11-18). "Duke Roufus and a tale of two Roufusports". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  9. ^ "Anthony Pettis Becomes Co-Owner of Roufusport in Wisconson | MMAWeekly.com". 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  10. ^ Hutchinson, Michael (2014-11-06). "Injury Rates Amongst Major MMA Fight Camps". Last Word on Sports. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  11. ^ a b Alexander, Mookie (2014-11-17). "Ex-Roufusport members lash out at Duke Roufus". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  12. ^ a b c John Diedrich. "Death in the Ring - Watchdog Report - Milwaukee kickboxer Dennis Munson Jr.'s death follows cascade of errors by fight officials". jsonline.com.
  13. ^ Williams, Mark S. "District Attorney letter on death of Dennis Munson Jr". Retrieved 2021-01-26 – via documentcloud.org.
  14. ^ "Report: Kickboxer Died After Bout Due To Cheap Promoter, Inept Doctors". Deadspin. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  15. ^ a b "Video: Experts Weigh In on Death of Amateur Kickboxer". mmaweekly.com.
  16. ^ Diedrich, John. "Lawsuit filed against Roufusport in death of Milwaukee kickboxer Dennis Munson Jr". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  17. ^ Diedrich, John. "Dennis Munson died in an amateur kickboxing bout in Milwaukee six years ago. Now his family lawsuit is settled". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  18. ^ "Rose Namajunas: To survive is to find meaning in the suffering - The Underground : The Underground". www.mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  19. ^ Curran, Jorden (2013-09-26). "The exciting impact and future of Roufusport". MMA Plus. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  20. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bellator Champ Askren Milwaukee-Bound, Set to Join Roufusport Camp". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  21. ^ "Sergio Pettis - Official UFC® Fighter Profile". 2014-03-23. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  22. ^ "Trainer Duke Roufus wants all focus on UFC 115's Pat Barry". MMA Junkie. 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  23. ^ FightBookMMA (7 July 2020). "Dustin Ortiz latest top name to sign on for BRAVE CF's Flyweight division | FightBookMMA". Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  24. ^ "Skidding Ben Rothwell reunites with Roufusport ahead of UFC on ESPN 7". MMA Junkie. 2019-08-20. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  25. ^ Youngs, José. "Former UFC middleweight Alan Belcher: "I'm done fighting. I don't want to get hit anymore."". The MMA Corner. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  26. ^ Seyler, Todd. "UFC HWs Pat Barry and Matt Mitrione: A Hypothetical Matchup Between Teammates". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  27. ^ Alexander, Mookie (2013-06-17). "Report: Krauss/Lim set for UFC 164". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  28. ^ Hiergesell, Dan (2016-10-22). "Video: Tyron Woodley spars with Sage Northcutt, says 'Super' a better version of Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  29. ^ "Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker Headlines UFC Fight Night Auckland In February". Combat Insiders. 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  30. ^ Murray, Doug (2020-11-17). "UFC: Sean Brady out, Belal Muhammad Now Faces Dhiego Lima Dec. 19". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  31. ^ Anderson, Jay (2019-07-27). "UFC 240's Erik Koch Done With Weight Cuts, Depleting Brain". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  32. ^ Raimondi, Marc (2014-12-31). "Dana White: CM Punk will train at Roufusport". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  33. ^ "Fight Path: Backed by Roufusport, Emmanuel Sanchez jumped at Pat Curran fight". MMA Junkie. 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  34. ^ ""Smilin'N" Sam Alvey Faces Gerald Meerschaert In Rematch". MyMMANews.com. 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  35. ^ Lynch, Michael. "Mike "Biggie" Rhodes On Refereeing In MMA - MMA Sucka". Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  36. ^ Raimondi, Marc (2018-05-03). "'Rejuvenated' Sarah Kaufman believes Invicta title is step toward proving she's top women's bantamweight". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  37. ^ "TUF 26 Finale's Ryan Janes talks training at Roufusport ahead of Andrew Sanchez matchup". FanSided. 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  38. ^ Tierney, Tom (2019-03-12). "John Makdessi continues to evolve at Roufusport; ready for Nasrat Haqparast at UFC Nashville". thebodylockmma.com. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  39. ^ Straus, Mike (2018-12-10). "UFC Milwaukee: For Roufusport's Jared Gordon, Giving Back Is Key To Sobriety". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  40. ^ Altatis, Conan (2020-03-01). "Roufusport's Jordan Griffin earns 1st UFC win, knocks out TJ Brown at 'UFC Fight Night 169' in Norfolk, Virginia". CONAN Daily. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  41. ^ "Rising UFC star Maycee Barber finds friend, mentor in Ben Askren". ESPN.com. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  42. ^ "Brendan Allen is the fighter to watch at UFC Norfolk". FanSided. 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2021-01-26.

External links[]

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