Former UFC fighter Paul Felder has paid tribute to Duke Roufus following the legendary MMA coach\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
Last week, the mixed martial arts world was stunned to learn that Duke Roufus, the former kickboxer and iconic MMA coach, had passed away at the age of just 55. He died in his sleep, and many figures from both in and outside of the Roufusport family were quick to post tributes to him across all social media platforms.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Coach Duke Roufus discusses Tyron Woodley\u2019s road back to the welterweight title<\/a><\/p>\n Roufus is well known as one of the most successful coaches of his generation, helping to guide the likes of Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis and Sergio Pettis to success. He was also a coach<\/a> for Paul Felder, who wound up having a solid UFC career featuring some incredible highlights.<\/p>\n On Saturday night\u2019s UFC Vancouver broadcast, Felder was given the opportunity to say a few words about Duke Roufus.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Felder pays emotional tribute to Roufus<\/p>\n \u201cDuke, he took guys in and became a father figure to so many of us,\u201d Felder said. \u201cHe was more than just a coach to me, he was more than just a coach to everybody that ever worked with him. I got to travel the world with that man and, yeah, he\u2019s gone way too soon. And we love you, Duke.\u201d<\/p>\n