Tag: Duke+Roufus

Duke Roufus Riding Emotional Roller Coaster of MMA

Filed under: UFCDuke Roufus has had better days. The coach and head of Roufusport in Milwaukee is feeling the effects of watching his students Anthony Pettis and Danny Downes fall short this past Saturday at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale.

“I’m still …

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Duke Roufus has had better days. The coach and head of Roufusport in Milwaukee is feeling the effects of watching his students Anthony Pettis and Danny Downes fall short this past Saturday at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale.

“I’m still emotionally drained about it,” Roufus said Monday on The MMA Hour. “They’re great guys, great people. The emotional roller coaster in this sport is so tough sometimes.”

Just last December, Roufus was enjoying the highs of the sport. At WEC 53, Roufus oversaw Downes earning his first WEC win over Zuffa prospect Zhang Tie Quan and Pettis pulling off an amazing “Showtime” kick en route to capturing the WEC lightweight belt.

Roufus said Pettis wasn’t himself that night even while warming up and one of the things they will work on is for Pettis to perform effectively regardless of whether or not he’s on an “on” or “off” day.

“We have not see the last of Anthony Pettis,” Roufus said. “There’s so much unlimited potential with Anthony. We just gotta get it together. Now he’s human again and sometimes that’s better. The spotlight is constantly on. It’s almost too hard. Too much, too fast sometimes.”

Although his takedown defense was his downfall, Pettis fought an exciting fight against Clay Guida and even debuted the “Showtime Two,” a spinning back kick off the cage.

“That’s the one you can say with Anthony Pettis,” Roufus said. “He’ll never be guilty of being boring in the UFC Octagon. He was throwing up submission after submission. I’m not upset at him. I’m only upset for him.”

Pettis was promised a UFC title shot after winning the WEC title, but chose to stay active rather than possibly sitting out a year waiting to see how the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard rivalry unfolds. Still, even in loss, Roufus believes it was the right decision to accept the fight against Guida.

“Who knows when the title shot is going to happen?” Roufus said. “It’s one of those things … And as well, obviously consistency, there’s some things we’re going to work on with Anthony. I rather know now than later.”

 

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The MMA Hour With Renzo Gracie in Studio, Pellegrino, Roufus, Herrig, Rosa, Young

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosThe MMA Hour returns on Monday, and five personalities from around the mixed martial arts world will be stopping by.

* MMA legend Renzo Gracie will visit our studio for the very first time.

* Kurt Pellegrin…

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The MMA Hour returns on Monday, and five personalities from around the mixed martial arts world will be stopping by.

* MMA legend Renzo Gracie will visit our studio for the very first time.

* Kurt Pellegrino will discuss why he is temporarily walking away from the sport.

* Female MMA fighter Felice Herrig will discuss her recent win and what’s next for her.

* UFC newcomer Jason Young will discuss his UFC 131 bout against Dustin Poirier.

* MMA trainer Duke Roufus will talk about Anthony Pettis and Danny Downes’ losses at the TUF 13 Finale.

* And Aaron Rosa, another UFC rookie, will discuss his UFC 131 bout against Joey Beltran.

Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193 or 212-254-0237.

*** You can now stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.

Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.

(Editor’s note: The show is now over, but the video should be back Tuesday.)

 

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‘Showtime’ Pettis Plans to Exploit Shane Roller’s Holes, Seize WEC Spotlight

Filed under: WEC, FanHouse Exclusive, interviewAnthony Pettis goes by the nickname “Showtime.” It’s an ironic moniker given the fact that his own mother, Annette Garcia, can’t bear to watch him perform under the spotlight. What’s even more ironic is th…

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Anthony Pettis goes by the nickname “Showtime.” It’s an ironic moniker given the fact that his own mother, Annette Garcia, can’t bear to watch him perform under the spotlight. What’s even more ironic is that it’s largely mom who laid the foundation for his surging MMA career.

Pettis was just a five-year-old kid who needed a place to go when he was first introduced to martial arts. At the time, Annette was a single mom attending college, and a taekwondo class on the campus of her school sounded like a perfect short-term distraction for Pettis and his brother, Rey.

“I hated it,” Pettis says now with a laugh. “I wanted to be with my friends and play basketball, just be outside.”

WEC Newcomer Danny Downes Ready to Go ‘International’ Against Horodecki

Filed under: WEC, NewsWhen Danny Downes picked up the phone early Tuesday afternoon and was told there was a spot for him on Sunday’s WEC 49 card if he was up for it, his affirmative response came quickly.

“Obviously, I would have preferred an eight-w…

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When Danny Downes picked up the phone early Tuesday afternoon and was told there was a spot for him on Sunday’s WEC 49 card if he was up for it, his affirmative response came quickly.

“Obviously, I would have preferred an eight-week training camp,” Downes told MMA Fighting on Wednesday. “But when you get the big call, you answer.”