ANTHONY PETTIS. DUKE WAS A FATHER TO ME, MAN, WHEN I WHEN I CAME INTO HIS GYM, I WAS 16 YEARS OLD. MY DAD JUST GOT KILLED AND HE FILLED THAT ROLE FOR ME. TWO TIME UFC CHAMPION ANTHONY PETTIS FONDLY REMEMBERS HIS WORLD RENOWNED COACH JEFFREY DUKE ROUFUS, WHO DIED SUDDENLY OVER THE WEEKEND AT 55. I’M LIKE, NO WAY, MAN. LIKE IT STILL DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT. I HAVEN’T SLEPT FOR TWO DAYS. IT’S JUST LIKE, MAN, HE’S A DAD TO ME, YOU KNOW? LIKE ME AND HIM SHARED A REALLY SPECIAL BOND AND WE’VE DONE SO MUCH TOGETHER TO BRING DOWN THE CURTAIN. AND THAT INCLUDES TRAINING INTENSELY TO BECOME A WORLD CHAMPION. HERE IS DUKE AND ANTHONY GEARING UP FOR A SHOT AT THE UFC TITLE IN JULY 2013. THERE WASN’T A HESITATION. IT IS. HEY, ANTHONY, YOU’RE FIGHTING BENSON HENDERSON. BUT CHECK THIS OUT. THAT IS ONE. BECOMING A WORLD CHAMPION AND PUTTING MILWAUKEE ON THE MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MAP. ANTHONY PETTIS ALSO CREDITS DUKE FOR HELPING HIS YOUNGER BROTHER SERGIO BECOME A CHAMPION, TOO. HE TOOK ME AND MY LITTLE BROTHER TO BE CHAMPIONS, YOU KNOW I WANT MY FIRST BELT AT 23, MY SECOND BELT AT 26. MY LITTLE BROTHER JUST WON HIS BELT. DUKE FOSTERING NEW TALENT AT HIS GYM CALLED ROUFUS SPORT. HIS TRAINER SAY DUKE HAD A NO NONSENSE MENTALITY. HE WAS HARD ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT HE WAS ONLY HARD BECAUSE HE HAD SO MUCH LOVE AND HE REALLY WANTED PEOPLE TO JUST GROW AND BE THEIR BEST SELVES. AND HE WASN’T STINGY WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAD. ONE THING THAT I REALLY LOVED, THAT DUKE ALWAYS SAID, WAS WE TRAINED TOO HARD NOT TO BELIEVE IN OURSELVES. DUKE ROUFUS, SOME SAY, MAY BE COLD AND HAD A TOUGH EXTERIOR. SOME SAY THAT HE DEMANDED EXCELLENCE, WHICH IS WHY NOW YOU HAVE THIS GYM HERE, ALLOWING OTHERS TO GET A TASTE OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS. HIS BUSINESS PARTNER, SCOTT JOFFE, SAYS DUKE WAS AN AMAZING FATHER FIGURE TO HIS DAUGHTER LILY, AND THEY LOVED TO CHAT. IT’S JUST REALLY SHOCKING AND SAD. YOU DON’T HAVE THOSE TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS ANYMORE. AND HIS BRILLIANT IDEAS. I LOVE YOU, DUKE. I MEAN, THAT’S THE ONLY THING I CAN SAY. I LOVE YOU AND I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE FOR ME. REPORTING IN MILWAUKEE.
Milwaukee mourns the loss of MMA coach Jeffrey ‘Duke’ Roufus
Jeffrey ‘Duke’ Roufus, a renowned MMA coach and kickboxing champion from Milwaukee, has died at 55, leaving behind a legacy of elite fighters and heartfelt memories
Updated: 6:07 PM CDT Oct 19, 2025
Jeffrey “Duke” Roufus, a celebrated MMA coach and champion kickboxer from Milwaukee, has died suddenly at the age of 55, leaving behind a legacy of elite fighters and heartfelt memories.Anthony Pettis, a two-time UFC champion, fondly remembers Roufus, who he said was like a father to him after his own father was killed. “Duke was a father to me, man,” Pettis said. “When I came in, it was him. I was 16 years old. My dad just got killed, and he filled that role for me.””I’m like, no way, man. Like, it still doesn’t feel right. I haven’t slept for two days. It’s like, man, he’s a dad to me. I mean, he and I shared a really special bond. And we’ve done so much together,” Pettis said.Roufus’ coaching included intense training sessions that helped Pettis become a world champion, notably gearing up for a shot at the UFC title in July 2013. “There wasn’t a hesitation that, hey Anthony, you about to fight Anderson,” Pettis said. Pettis won, putting Milwaukee on the mixed martial arts map. He also credits Roufus’ for helping his younger brother Sergio become a champion.”He took me and my little brother to be double champions,” Pettis said. “You know, I won my first belt at 23. My second belt at 26. My little brother just won his belt.”Roufus was known for fostering new talent at his gym, “Roufusport,” where his trainers described him as having a no-nonsense mentality. “He was hard on the outside, but he was only hard because he had so much love,” said Isaiah Benjamin, a trainer. “And he really wanted people to just grow and be themselves. And he wasn’t stingy with the knowledge that he had.”Benjamin recalled Roufus’ motivational words: “One thing that I really loved, that Duke always said, was we train too hard not to believe in ourselves.” Roufus’ business partner, Scott Joffe, shared his sorrow over the loss, noting Roufus’ role as a father figure to his daughter Lula, who loved to chat. “It’s just really shocking. Sad. We won’t have those telephone conversations anymore. And his brilliant ideas,” Joffe said.”I love you, Duke,” Pettis said. “I mean, that’s the only thing I could say. I love you, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”Roufusport MMA Academy said in a statement that Roufus passed away peacefully in his sleep.
MILWAUKEE —
Jeffrey “Duke” Roufus, a celebrated MMA coach and champion kickboxer from Milwaukee, has died suddenly at the age of 55, leaving behind a legacy of elite fighters and heartfelt memories.
Anthony Pettis, a two-time UFC champion, fondly remembers Roufus, who he said was like a father to him after his own father was killed. “Duke was a father to me, man,” Pettis said. “When I came in, it was him. I was 16 years old. My dad just got killed, and he filled that role for me.”
“I’m like, no way, man. Like, it still doesn’t feel right. I haven’t slept for two days. It’s like, man, he’s a dad to me. I mean, he and I shared a really special bond. And we’ve done so much together,” Pettis said.
Roufus’ coaching included intense training sessions that helped Pettis become a world champion, notably gearing up for a shot at the UFC title in July 2013. “There wasn’t a hesitation that, hey Anthony, you about to fight Anderson,” Pettis said. Pettis won, putting Milwaukee on the mixed martial arts map. He also credits Roufus’ for helping his younger brother Sergio become a champion.
“He took me and my little brother to be double champions,” Pettis said. “You know, I won my first belt at 23. My second belt at 26. My little brother just won his belt.”
Roufus was known for fostering new talent at his gym, “Roufusport,” where his trainers described him as having a no-nonsense mentality. “He was hard on the outside, but he was only hard because he had so much love,” said Isaiah Benjamin, a trainer. “And he really wanted people to just grow and be themselves. And he wasn’t stingy with the knowledge that he had.”
Benjamin recalled Roufus’ motivational words: “One thing that I really loved, that Duke always said, was we train too hard not to believe in ourselves.”
Roufus’ business partner, Scott Joffe, shared his sorrow over the loss, noting Roufus’ role as a father figure to his daughter Lula, who loved to chat. “It’s just really shocking. Sad. We won’t have those telephone conversations anymore. And his brilliant ideas,” Joffe said.
“I love you, Duke,” Pettis said. “I mean, that’s the only thing I could say. I love you, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Roufusport MMA Academy said in a statement that Roufus passed away peacefully in his sleep.