Jeffrey Ryan "Duke" Roufus (born February 19, 1970) is an American former

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

and head coach of

Roufusport 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, it has produced current UFC champion Belal Muhammad, former UFC champions, Anthony Pettis (former ...

based in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, United States. He is a well-known striking coach in North America.

Career

Duke Roufus started training in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

at an early age. He is the younger brother of kickboxer Rick "The Jet" Roufus. His professional

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

career saw him collect a number of titles. During the 1990s he won the W.K.A. North American Super Heavyweight Championship, W.A.K.O. World Super Heavyweight Championship, W.K.B.A. World Super Heavyweight Championship and the K.I.C.K. World Super Heavyweight Championship and the I.K.F. Pro Muay Thai Rules Super Heavyweight World Title on December 4, 1998 in Milwaukee Wisconsin, over Hiriwa TeRangi of New Zealand by unanimous decision 50-43 on all three judges' cards. On March 19, 1999, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in his only defense of his I.K.F. title, Roufus quickly defeated Australia's WKA World Champion Grant Barker with a combination of strikes which included a leg kick, 2 knees to Barker's head and finished with a high head kick. Roufus only took 39 seconds to knockout the Australian in the opening round of the scheduled 5 round Muay Thai bout. He opened Milwaukee Kickboxing & Fitness Club in June 1997. Roufus voluntarily vacated his Super Heavyweight I.K.F. Title to move down to the Heavyweight Muay Thai Division and soon after, retired. However, at the end of October 2000, Roufus announced he would come out of retirement to fight in the K-1 USA tournament. He lost his second round bout in the May 2001 K-1 USA tournament and his opening round bout in the August, 2001 K-1 USA tournament. On December 11, 2002, Roufus made his retirement official. His final kickboxing record was 36–8–1 and in pro boxing he was 2–0. On two further occasions Roufus has come out of retirement to fight in the ring to record wins against Sinisa "Thunderman" Andrijasevic on June 3, 2005, and Eduardo Maiorino on May 25, 2007. Following his retirement, he has become a well-known trainer, working with many

mixed martial artists Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

including former UFC Lightweight Champion

Anthony Pettis Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist, and professional boxer. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ...

Alan Belcher Alan Belcher (born April 24, 1984) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist. A professional from 2004 until 2015, he is perhaps best known for his 15-fight tenure with the UFC. He currently competes in Bare Knuckle Fig ...

, Pat Barry,

Erik Koch Erik Jon Koch (born October 4, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he formerly competed for the WEC. Background K ...

Ben Rothwell Ben Rothwell (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer who competes as a Heavyweight and is the current BKFC Heavyweight World Champion. He most notably had a 17 bout stint in the Ultimate Fighting C ...

Matt Mitrione Matt Mitrione (born July 15, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former American football player, who competed for both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and most recently for Bellator MMA. Prior to embarking on an MMA c ...

, former U.S. Olympian and former

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

World Champion

Ben Askren Benjamin Michael Askren (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, professional boxer and Olympic wrestler. He was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade ...

and former UFC Welterweight Champion

Tyron Woodley Tyron Lakent Woodley (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at St ...

. Other former students include Kill Cliff FC coach Jason Strout, former UFC Lightweight Champion

Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. In 2023, Pulver was inducted into the UFC hall of fame. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in ...

, ''The Ultimate Fighter Season One'' star

Stephan Bonnar Stephan Patrick Bonnar (April 4, 1977 – December 22, 2022) was an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. Bonnar competed as a Light Heavyweight in the UFC for most of his career. Bonnar was the runner-up on The Ultimate Fig ...

and

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...

. Duke Roufus, business partner Scott Joffe and

operate Roufusport Martial Arts Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Roufus has also served as color commentator for

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...

and has appeared on TSN in Canada, ''

Walker Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas ...

'' and Fox's ''Best Damn Sport's Show Period''. Roufus and Joffe also operate NAFC (North American Fighting Championship) MMA & Kickboxing, which has served as a launching pad for many current and former stars of MMA.

Honors and titles

*1998 I.K.F. World Super Heavyweight Champion *1997 K.I.C.K. World Super Heavyweight Champion *1996 W.K.B.A. World Super Heavyweight Champion *1995 W.A.K.O. World Super Heavyweight Champion *1995 I.S.K.A. World Super Heavyweight champion *1995 W.K.A. World Super Heavyweight champion *1993 W.K.A. North American Super Heavyweight Champion *1991 W.A.K.O. World Championships in London, UK +84 kg (Light-Contact)

Kickboxing record (incomplete)

, - , , Win , Lawson Baker , Gladiators Fighting's 50th -"Knockout Kings" ,

, United States , Decision (Unanimous) , align="center", 3 , align="center", , , - , , Win ,

Eduardo Maiorino Eduardo "Morpheus" Maiorino (August 16, 1979 – December 23, 2012) was a Brazilian professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was a three time Brazilian Heavyweight Muay Thai Champion, the K-1 Brazil 2004 Tournament finalist and c ...

, Colosseum 5 ,

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Canada , TKO (Leg Kicks) , align="center", 2 , align="center", 0:56 , , - , , Win , Sinisa Andrijasevic , Heavyweight Gladiators ,

, United States , Decision (Unanimous) , align="center", 5 , align="center", 3:00 , - , , Loss ,

Marvin Eastman Marvin Lee Eastman (born June 8, 1971) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor from 2000 until 2013, he competed in K-1, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Fighting Alli ...

K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Las Vegas This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a Japanese kickboxing promotion. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993, at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Since its inception, K-1 events were organized by the F ...

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , KO (knees to the body) , align="center", 3 , align="center", 0:19 , , - , , Win , Pedro Fernandez , Heavyweight Gladiators ,

, United States , TKO (Corner Stoppage) , align="center", 4 , align="center", , , - , , Loss ,

Stefan Leko Stefan Leko (born June 3, 1974) is a German heavyweight kickboxer. He is the current WKA Super-Heavyweight world champion in kickboxing, and former Muay Thai world super-heavyweight champion and Kickboxing world super-heavyweight champion, WMT ...

K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a Japanese kickboxing promotion. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993, at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Since its inception, K-1 events were organized by the Fig ...

, United States , TKO , align="center", 2 , align="center", 2:34 , , - , , Loss , Michael McDonald ,

K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Preliminary USA This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a Japanese kickboxing promotion. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993, at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Since its inception, K-1 events were organized by the Fi ...

, United States , Decision (Unanimous) , align="center", 3 , align="center", 3:00 , , - , , Win ,

Tomasz Kucharzewski Tomasz Kucharzewski (August 13, 1968 – March 8, 2008) was a Polish-Canadian martial artist. Kucharzewski initially gained fame while fighting competitively in Kyokushin kaikan and Shidōkan styles of karate. Thou ...

, United States , TKO (2 knockdowns) , align="center", 1 , align="center", 2:26 , , - , , Win , Dewey Cooper , ,

, United States , Decision (unanimous) , align="center", 5 , align="center", 3:00 , , - , , Win , Grant Barker , ,

, United States , KO (High Kick) , align="center", 1 , align="center", 0:39 , Defended IKF Super Heavyweight World title. , - , , Win , Hiriwa TeRangi , ,

, United States , Decision (Unanimous) , align="center", , align="center", , Won IKF Super Heavyweight World title. , - , , Win , Patrick Smith , ,

Ledyard, Connecticut Ledyard ( ) is a New England town, Town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. The town is named after Colonel William Ledyard, a American Revol ...

, United States , TKO (Leg Kick) , align="center", 2 , align="center", , Defended

KICK A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of ...

Super Heavyweight World title. , - , , Loss ,

Mike Bernardo Michael Shawn Bernardo (28 July 1969 – 14 February 2012) was a South African kickboxer and boxer from Cape Town. Bernardo was known as Beru-chan in Japan, where he has taken part in K-1 World GPs since 1994. He holds notable wins over ...

K-1 Grand Prix '96 Opening Battle This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a Japanese kickboxing promotion. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993, at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Since its inception, K-1 events were organized by the Fig ...

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

, TKO , align="center", 2 , align="center", 1:37 , , - , , Win ,

Stan Longinidis Stan "The Man" Longinidis (born 25 June 1965) is an Australian retired heavyweight kickboxer and 8-time world kickboxing champion. Born in Melbourne of Greek ethnicity, Longinidis is one of the few fighters to win world titles in four differe ...

, World Cup of Martial Arts ,

, United States , KO (Overhand Right Straight) , align="center", 1 , align="center", 0:41 , Won WKA,

ISKA The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association) is international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches. It is based in the United States. It was est ...

and WAKO World Super Heavyweight titles , - , , Loss ,

Andy Hug Andreas "Andy" Hug (7 September 1964 – 24 August 2000) was a Swiss karateka and kickboxer who competed in the heavyweight division. Considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time, Hug was renowned for his ability to ex ...

, 1994 Seidokaikan Karate World Cup , , KO (Kick to the Body) , align="center", 3 , align="center", 2:17 , , - , , Win , Takeshi Tanaka ,

K-1 Revenge ''K-1 Revenge'', known in Japan as , is a video game based on the K-1 martial arts organization in Hong Kong, developed by Daft and published by Xing Entertainment in Japan in 1997, and by Jaleco in North America in 1999. It is the fifth game in t ...

, KO (Right Punch) , align="center", 2 , align="center", 0:05 , , - , , Win , Zinnie Reynolds , ,

, United States , , align="center", , align="center", , Won WKA North American Championship , - , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

Roufusport.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roufus, Jeff 1970 births Living people American male kickboxers Kickboxers from Wisconsin Heavyweight kickboxers American male Muay Thai practitioners American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Kickboxing trainers Mixed martial arts trainers Martial artists from Milwaukee 20th-century American sportsmen

Career

Honors and titles

Kickboxing record (incomplete)

See also

References

External links