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NEW YORK — Anthony Pettis believes those who have come out recently against his coach Duke Roufus and the Roufusport gym are using an unfortunate tragedy to further their own personal agendas.

Roufusport fighter Dennis Munson Jr., 24, died due to head trauma following an unsanctioned, amateur kickboxing bout in March. An investigative report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last month highlighted apparent negligence at the event from officials, doctors and Munson’s own cornermen. The card was promoted by Roufus’ business partner, Scott Joffe.

Since the Journal Sentinel article was published, multiple former Roufusport fighters and coaches have come out against Roufus and the gym for fostering a toxic, bully culture. Current “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Rose Namajunas, her boyfriend and former UFC fighter Pat Barry, and ex-UFC veteran Eric Schafer have led the charge on social media.

“I guess they needed something to happen to go off of,” Pettis told MMA Fighting on Monday at a lunch to promote his lightweight title defense against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181 on Saturday. “The worst thing is they don’t know this kid. This kid came to our gym. He’s training with us. We saw him as a teammate, as a family member. It hurts us more than it hurts them. Using that? That’s what pissed me off about it. They’re using that as a way to attack personal issues. Make it about what happened. The kid died last March. No one said nothing back then.”

Roufus, who was also present at the lunch, called it a situation of “the pot calling the kettle black” with regards to Namajunas. The coach said Namajunas returned to train at Roufusport in the spring — after Munson’s death — and assaulted a training partner after the bell.

“Her gloves came off and she was hitting the guy, cut his face,” Roufus said. “No one told me this until after she had left after she visited our gym this spring for training. If there was such a problem with us, why did you stop by our gym to train?…In the past, I had to correct her to not hit other girls and other people at our gym. There’s two sides to every story.”

Namajunas did not respond to a message sent by MMA Fighting on Monday evening.

Two weeks ago, Namajunas began posting screenshots of messages and posts on Instagram from past Roufusport members blasting Roufus and other team coaches.

“Crazy that I finally speak out against the people that are responsible for this tragedy and now other people are coming out too,” Namajunas wrote on Instagram. “It’s sad it takes someone’s life to bring awareness.”

Shafer told MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas last month that a UFC heavyweight at Roufusport was once told to “beat another UFC heavyweight out of the gym.” Schafer also said when pure wrestlers were brought in to help Pettis prepare for Shane Roller in 2010, Roufusport fighters were told to aggressively turn it on against them in MMA settings when coaches felt like the wrestlers were not going hard enough.

“Chico [Camus] whispered in the wrestler’s ear, ‘Sorry, man, but I gotta step it up,'” Shafer said.

Roufus denies such incidents, but admits that he can be tough on his fighters at times.

“There are a few different Duke Roufus’s,” he said. “A lot of people don’t see every day at five o’clock, Monday through Thursday, I teach kids’ class. I have a karate gi on. I teach traditional martial arts. The dude I am in karate class is different. I teach technical kickboxing to our recreational students. The dude I am in that class, I’m different. Yeah, sometimes you have to get in people’s asses in professional sports. Have you ever watched HBO’s Hard Knocks? That being said, I’m not gonna sit here and have a mudslinging contest with them. People can think what they want or they can look at the results, the positive results.”

Roufus said he saw Barry at a Glory event in May and Barry asked him contractual advice. He wonders why Barry didn’t mention to him then that there was any animosity.

“In May it was okay and in the spring it was okay for Rose [to come in and train], but now after the fact everything changes?” Roufus said.

Added Pettis: “I just don’t understand why they waited so long to say something. Rose left the gym when Pat left the gym years ago.

“We didn’t pick her on the show, because it just didn’t happen. I’ve seen them at fights after that. Nothing was said. Red Schaefer owns a gym not too far away — Milwaukee is small. We see him all the time. He says nothing.”

Roufus said he would prefer to not talk about this any longer, preferring to focus on the positive. Roufusport, he said, has 31 professional athletes, including champions like Anthony Pettis, Ben Askren (ONE FC) and Rick Glenn (World Series of Fighting). In his mind, the gym’s “positive results” speak for themselves.

“They have a voice,” Roufus said of Namajunas, Barry and Schafer. “They have their fans. If people want to believe them, cool. You know what? I’m not here to make everyone happy. I’m only here to make the people who really love me happy. I’m not worried about enemies. I’m worried about supporters. And I’m sorry they feel that way.”

 
Reebok and the UFC are joining forces in a groundbreaking six-year partnership that will see the global fitness leader become the exclusive outfitter and apparel provider for the world’s leading mixed martial arts organization.The Reebok/UFC apparel line, which will include exclusive “Fight Week” gear, “Fight Night kit” as well as UFC fan gear, will be developed in conjunction with UFC and its athletes, including current Reebok-sponsored fighters Johny Hendricks, UFC Welterweight Champion, and UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis.“This will be t … Read the Full Article Here

The Thugjitsu era has come to a close.

Yves Edwards, one of the most respected fighters in the UFC, is calling it quits. The 17-year MMA veteran announced his retirement Sunday night on Facebook. Edwards, 38, is winless in his last five fights and is coming off a submission loss to Akbarh Arreola at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson on Nov. 22.

“Fighting has been a part of my life ever since I was 17 and that makes this a hard pill to swallow but it’s time for me to end this chapter and move on to the next part of my life,” said Edwards, who spent most of his career in the loaded lightweight division.

Edwards’ current run in the UFC began in 2010. But “Thugjitsu Master” debuted in the organization way back at UFC 33 on Sept. 28, 2001. He lost that bout by decision to Matt Serra. The Bahamas native and Texas resident has also competed for PRIDE, Bellator, WEC, Strikeforce, Elite XC and BoDog Fight among others in his decorated career.

Edwards (42-22-1, 1 NC), who trains out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., owns victories over the likes of Josh Thomson and Jeremy Stephens. He finished 23 of his 44 career wins. His highlight-reel head kick knockout of Thomson at UFC 49 remains one of the best KOs in UFC history. He competed in 21 UFC fights.

Edwards, always one of the classiest competitors in MMA and regarded as a pioneer of the sport, will also always be known for bringing levity on weigh-in day. “Thugjitsu Master” typically brings a bag of snacks — the latest: yogurt pretzels — with him when he hits the scale.

The stunt has been impersonated, but never quite duplicated — much like Edwards.

The UFC is apparently set to make a big splash in Melbourne next year.

The Daily Telegraph in Australia is reporting that the UFC will debut in the city on Nov. 15, 2015 at Etihad Stadium, which holds north of 50,000 people. UFC stars like Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor are all being considered to headline what would be UFC 193, according to the paper.

The event has not been made official by the UFC. The Telegraph reported that it will likely be announced in the coming weeks. UFC officials were not immediately available to confirm or deny the report when reached Sunday evening by MMAFighting.com.

MMA is legal in Melbourne’s state of Victoria. But holding mixed martial arts fights in a cage is strictly prohibited — competition is only allowed inside of a ring. However, the Labor party has come into power through recent elections and one of its promises is to make the Octagon legal.

Tom Wright, the UFC’s executive in charge of Canada and Australia, told the Telegraph this week that at least one title — and possibly two — would be on the line when the UFC comes to Melbourne for the first time.

“We only get one chance to make a first impression,” Wright told the paper. “I remember when we first went into Toronto, Canada, and (UFC owner) Lorenzo Fertita said ‘this is going to be our Super Bowl’. It’s the same with Melbourne. That will be our mandate. It’s why this card has to be headlined with a world title fight. We cannot do an event of this magnitude without putting a belt on the line.”

A 2006 boxing match between Anthony Mundine and Danny Green attracted more than 30,000 to the Sydney Football Stadium and it was arguably the biggest combat sports event in Australian history. The UFC’s largest attendance figure was 55,724 for UFC 129 on April 30, 2011 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. That marked the UFC’s debut in Ontario. UFC on FOX 14 on Jan. 14 in Stockholm will take place at Tele2 Arena, which holds more than 30,000 people.

The Telegraph reported that in addition to potentially two title fights, the main card will also feature top heavyweight Mark Hunt and welterweight contender Hector Lombard. Hunt is from New Zealand, but has lived in Australia for years. Lombard, a Cuban, also spent many years in the country.

Wright told MMA Kanvas that he will speak with the new government this coming week before heading back to Las Vegas to begin planning the UFC’s huge Melbourne card. A UFC Fan Expo is also a possibility, the site reported.

The official results of the Australian elections are not yet finalized, so there has been no official comment on the Labor party lifting the current ban on fights inside of a cage.