Home US SportsUFC ‘This cannot be real’: Anthony Pettis opens up on the emotional death of coach Duke Roufus

‘This cannot be real’: Anthony Pettis opens up on the emotional death of coach Duke Roufus

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The MMA world suffered yet another tragic and sudden loss this past Friday when celebrated coach Duke Roufus died at age 54. Roufus trained several of the sport’s great champions over the years at his Roufusport gym in Milwaukee. Arguably the most notable of the bunch was former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, who rarely was seen in a cage without Roufus in his corner.

Shockwaves of mourning rippled across the MMA community in the wake of the news, but as one of Roufus’ star pupils, Pettis has felt the effects of his passing more than most. On Tuesday, “Showtime” opened up on “The Ariel Helwani Show” about his current state following Roufus’ death.

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“[It’s] not easy, man. I lost my first father at 16 years old, and Duke became my second father,” Pettis told Uncrowned. Pettis’ father was murdered in 2003 in a crime that has since remain unsolved.

“Getting this tragic news, I was coming out to my house in Mexico — I landed and I got all the text messages: ‘Duke passed away.’ I’m like, ‘No way. This cannot be real.’ And yeah, man, it’s all the emotions I lived as a kid all over again.”

Roufus’ cause of death remains unknown. Pettis said the news came as much of a surprise to him as it did to the rest of the world. He noted that an autopsy report has yet to be filed, but Pettis said he’s working under the assumption that Roufus suffered a heart attack, citing what he was told from Roufusport coach Scott Cushman, who Pettis said was the first to find Roufus.

The last time Pettis and Roufus spoke was business as usual, as Pettis revealed he was preparing to make a return to combat sports before the year’s end.

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“Our last conversation, I was getting ready for a fight in Dubai, Dec. 20, and I was going to Milwaukee after I left my house in Mexico to start training camp with Duke,” Pettis said. “The news came, and complete sudden surprise that he passed away in his sleep.”

Roufus continued his coaching duties to the very end, recently traveling to Dubai for Pettis’ younger brother Sergio’s PFL fight against Magomed Magomedov. In vintage, almost poetic fashion, the younger Pettis scored one of the brothers’ signature highlight-reel finishes when he nailed a come-from-behind spinning back elbow.

Like Anthony, Sergio has been deeply affected by the loss.

“Same as me, man,” Pettis said of his younger brother’s status. “Serg lost his father at 9 years old, I lost my father at 16, and we knew Duke longer than our real dad. He became a real father figure to me and a mentor, a coach, a brother.

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“The way I lived my life was because of Duke. When I [first] came to his gym, he told me a quote, and you know my father’s murder was always unsolved. He said, ‘The best revenge is massive success.’ And I literally lived my life by that. That’s something he gave to me at 16 years old. Together, we’ve done some amazing things and we spent so much time together. I had a 40-plus professional fight [career], from Tuesday to Sunday sleeping in hotel rooms with him. Hearing his life story, my life story. It’s just one of those things, man. It’s really hard to get over.”

Pettis began his MMA career in 2007, competing on the Wisconsin regional circuit and going 8-0 before getting signed to the WEC. In due time, with Roufus by his side, he became a lightweight superstar.

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The family ties extended beyond just his connection to Roufus, as had it not been for the success of Roufus’ accomplished brother, kickboxing champion Rick, perhaps he’d have gone down a different path.

Ultimately, it all not only helped shape Pettis as a person, but also as a coach for the fighters he works with today.

“Before UFC, ESPN had kickboxing on, and Rick Roufus was the man when it came to the ISK Kickboxing, and Duke was always in his corner,” Pettis said. “When I was deciding to pursue mixed martial arts, Duke Roufus’ gym was a no-brainer. He had the jiu-jitsu, the kickboxing, he had the traditional mixed martial arts background that I came from. So I signed up at his gym as a regular student, walked in, met Duke, and me and him — we share the same philosophies in life. He didn’t just want to be a guy that was in the UFC; he wanted to be the best of that organization. Like I said, that quote is how I lived my life by. He gave me that quote at 16, and even still now, I’m 38 years old, that’s how I live my life.

“I always tell my fighters there’s three levels of coaches. A coach that studies the game and understands it from a philosophical center point; a coach that does what I just said, plus helps somebody else do it; and a coach [at] level three is a guy that helps somebody else do it, did it themselves, and they studied the game. Duke was a level-three coach. It’s very hard to find that in mixed martial arts.”

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It’s far too early for any decisions to be made about the future of Roufusport, and Pettis acknowledges as much. However, he knows what must be done — keep pushing forward, keep building world champions, and most of all, keep the Roufus name alive. Just like coach would have wanted.

“We have to keep the legacy going, man,” Pettis said. “Duke wouldn’t want nothing else besides that. For me, it’s still fresh, but I’m going back to Milwaukee on Friday. I’ll be there for a week or two. We’ll figure out how to keep this thing going.

“He was a great guy, man. One of the guys that, competition was his life. He grew up competing his whole life, and knowing that he’s gone now, we’ve got to keep his legacy alive.”

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