Roufusport star pupil and UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has managed to avoid being roped into much of the controversy surrounding his camp this week.
After the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published its investigation into the death of 24-year-old amateur Roufusport kickboxer Denis Munson Jr., the camp’s patriarch, Duke Roufus, has come under fire by several high-profile former students over his coaching methods.
Just weeks out from making his Dec. 2 title defense to Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181, Pettis says he isn’t concerned the situation will affect his preparation.
“Not at all,” Pettis told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It’s very sad, what happened. We all addressed it when it happened. It happened months ago. I wasn’t in town when it happened, I heard about it. Of course, I’m friends with all these guys, I’ve met all these guys. It’s sad. It’s a sad thing that happened. We all know when we get in this Octagon or kickboxing ring, anything can happen. It’s a rough sport, but no one imagines something like that would happen.”
Pettis believes Roufus and his staff have been unfairly blamed for the accident, calling Munson’s death the result of various moving parts.
“It just upsets me that people are taking to the blogs and their websites to directly attack the coaching as being the factor in what happened,” said Pettis. “There’s a lot of things that made that outcome. It wasn’t one person’s fault. It wasn’t his[?] fault, it wasn’t the referee’s fault. It was a combination of a lot of things that led for this to happen. All we can do is take precautions and be safer next time.”
Between inattentive ringside doctor Carlos Feliciano and seemingly dismissive referee Al Wichgers, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s piece exposed plenty of red flags.
In video of the three-round bout obtained by police, a slumping Munson appears to be slapped in the face by Scott Cushman, Roufusport’s longtime lead striking instructor.
“The thing that gets to me is that they’re attacking guys that I look at as fatherly figures. My family, to me. This is a family here. When you attack one of us you attack all of us. I’m not getting too personal with it The truth will come out and then people will see how it is. For every bad story there’s 100 people training in the gym that love the culture and love what’s going on here.”
Saying he’s focused on his fight, Pettis believes Munson’s death is being overshadowed by ‘personal vendettas.’
“The truth will come out,” said Pettis. “Everybody knows how Duke is. Duke’s not hiding, he’s doing interviews. He’s talking to the media. The story was one-sided. We didn’t address that story at all so it was one side. They can make it look however they want but the saddest thing is Denis dying. That’s what it should be about.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
MMA Beat. The panel discusses the aftermath of a big weekend in MMA, the UFC’s press conference on Monday, Rampage Jackson and Brock Lesnar’s future, UFC Fight Night 57, and more.
Clean. Vitor Belfort passes his random blood and urine drug test ahead of UFC 184.
‘Gracie Hunter.’ Renzo Gracie won’t underestimate ‘unorthodox’ Kazushi Sakuraba at Metamoris 5.
Bad PPV year. Major credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) announced that Zuffa, LLC earnings are expected to decline 40 percent.
‘She’s smashing people.’ Joe Rogan calls Ronda Rousey a ‘once ever’ type of athlete.
MEDIA STEW
Joe Rogan feels optimistic about a Brock Lesnar comeback.
Cub Swanson’s gym escape.
Final trailer for Metamoris 5.
Portrait: Kailin Curran.
Kenny Florian agrees with Nick Diaz that Georges St-Pierre is ‘scared’ of Anderson Silva.
Wrestling/boxing prodigy Aaron Pico (watch) discusses his decision to sign with Bellator prior to making his Olympic run.
Long watches.
The MMA Report – Cub Swanson, Joseph Benavidez
…
Team Alpha Male Radio – Nov. 20, 2014 – #018
TWEETS
Alright.
If being a “bitch” means growing sick of a nasty passive aggressive person then calling her on it, then I guess I’m a bitch #Utrylivewithher
— Felice Herrig (@feliceherrig) November 20, 2014
Gosh, calm down people. What did I really say that was SOOO disrespectful? I told her “just so you know, you are… http://t.co/XCfRy1nKeb
— Carla Esparza (@CarlaEsparza1) November 20, 2014
Thanks for all the kind words….blown away with the response from my rant this morning don’t worry it’s my first and last #overthatshit
— Joanne Calderwood (@DRkneevil) November 19, 2014
Looking good.
Pic of my ear healing. https://t.co/eNTORcq546
— Leslie Smith (@LeslieSmith_GF) November 20, 2014
Sounds good.
@thugjitsumaster @TimKennedyMMA @ufc yes I’m down
— Hector Lombard (@HectorLombard) November 19, 2014
Get well soon.
Just got cleared, good to go, fight time back in session….
— Efrain Escudero (@effyescudero) November 20, 2014
Injuries suck! I just want to be able to do what I love. I can’t wait to fight again and put on a show. @UFC
— Chris Holdsworth (@holdsworth135) November 20, 2014
Very cool.
Visited my buddy Lex yesterday. He’s almost done with his 100 days of isolation, and HOPEFULLY done… http://t.co/jnkAIHvVQY
— Ricardo Lamas (@RicardoLamasMMA) November 20, 2014
Back to the glorious trip I had to @akathailand This kid really helped me with my head kicks 🙂 @adidascombatusa pic.twitter.com/tPQqHMHNmo
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) November 20, 2014
He was stolen from his family by a gang, hints the tats. Fortunately he was rescued & brought in. Now trains everyday. Great kid great story
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) November 20, 2014
Congrats.
Moving on up! Thank you @gracietechnics #teamblessed #TechnicsJiuJitsu http://t.co/EBEz6Dpjak pic.twitter.com/QYGSm9x2dO
— Jerome-Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) November 20, 2014
A young Bones.
Tbt- College days with @JonnyBones pic.twitter.com/iURjsY6n4W
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) November 21, 2014
Sounds legit.
I’m proud to announce that we at Rampage family fitness start shooting our new reality show “Rampage… http://t.co/lyRxEHYc9C
— Quinton Jackson (@Rampage4real) November 20, 2014
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Nov. 20 2014)
Vanessa Porto out, Andrea Lee vs. Roxanne Modafferi at Invicta FC 10
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via Philip Hanna.
Making sense of the UFC Featherweight title picture
Whether you are a long time hard core MMA fanatic, or just a Conor McGregor fanboy, you’re probably wondering about one thing. When is Conor going to get a title shot? The correct answer is we don’t know, however we can make an educated guess based on the current landscape of the UFC’s 145 pound division. So lets take a look at all the pieces on the board, the movers and the shakers at featherweight.
First up is Jose Aldo, the Brazilian standing atop Mount Olympus, UFC featherweight champion, his only loss was back in 2005, he has never lost in the UFC. He carries an intimidating professional record of 25-1, is known for devastating power in the stand up department, underrated Jiu-Jitsu and impeccable take down defence. Most recently he defeated Chad Mendes for the second time, he’s the one everyone is gunning for.
…
Check out the rest of the post here.
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