Roufusport MMA Academy

The Muay Thai foundation

Roufusport was founded in 2007 by Duke Roufus, a former K-1 and Muay Thai world champion. The gym's defining feature is the Muay Thai foundation — fighters train K-1-level kickboxing first and integrate wrestling, BJJ, and complete-fighter elements on top.

Duke's competitive Muay Thai career produced the technical foundation: lead-leg side kicks, switch kicks, Thai plum clinch work, and the willingness to engage in stand-and-trade exchanges.

The Anthony Pettis era

Roufusport's championship-era is defined by the Pettis brothers. Anthony Pettis won the WEC lightweight title in 2010 (the "Showtime kick" off the cage against Benson Henderson) and the UFC lightweight title in 2013. His brother Sergio Pettis won the Bellator bantamweight title in 2022.

The gym's training partnership with Ben Askren during his welterweight career produced the wrestling-base supplementation that the kickboxing-first program needed.

The current roster

• Belal Muhammad — UFC welterweight champion 2024-present
• Tyron Woodley (formerly) — UFC welterweight champion 2016-2019
• Anthony Pettis (formerly) — UFC + ONE lightweight contender
• Sergio Pettis — Bellator bantamweight champion
• Ben Askren (formerly) — Bellator + ONE welterweight champion
• Various regional UFC contracted fighters

The training system

The Roufusport day:

• Morning: striking technique (boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai)
• Afternoon: MMA sparring or grappling/wrestling
• Evening: conditioning, mobility, recovery

The gym's striking depth — with Duke Roufus directly coaching — has produced some of the most distinctive technical strikes in MMA history. Anthony Pettis's Showtime kick at WEC 53 is on the short list of most-replayed MMA moments.

The legacy

Roufusport demonstrated that a kickboxing-foundation gym could produce championship-level MMA athletes across multiple weight classes. The current Belal Muhammad welterweight title reign confirms the program's continued championship credibility.