Duke Roufus: UFC has paved the way for all combat sports

As the head trainer for UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, former Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren and a number of other MMA notables, Duke Roufus is quickly becoming one of the most important coaches in the sport. But he’s also taken on the role of kickboxing commentator, and Roufus believes the UFC making it all possible.

“I just think the UFC has paved the way for all combat sports,” Roufus told MMAjunkie. “I see boxing making a great comeback right now. I think the matchmaking and the product that the UFC has put out has been a good industry standard. Boxing is starting to put fighters together earlier in their career, and they’re not afraid to lose. They want to go out there and put on good fights. The co-main event on the Mayweather-’Canelo’ card was awesome. Young guys, they weren’t protecting them. They made them fight. The production in boxing is up.

“I do think there’s a huge room here to have GLORY because with the reality of UFC being on FOX, each year, the sport is becoming the same as football, the same as basketball and so forth – any sport on FOX. Five years ago, it was still kind of a rogue sport to some people.”

A lifelong martial arts enthusiast, Roufus is a former kickboxing world champion. Most recently, he’s become a known commodity in the MMA world as his Wisconsin-based Roufusport Mixed Martial Arts Academy has produced a number of top fighters. But he returned to his roots to join Mauro Ranallo in the broadcast booth for Spike TV’s coverage of GLORY, a top kickboxing camp looking to make its mark in the U.S.

Roufus believes the success of the UFC will continue to allow room for other martial arts organizations to find a market that otherwise might not exist.

“You ask any Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, they probably watch the world championships in jiu-jitsu every year,” Roufus said. “Ben Askren watches the NCAAs. I think that GLORY is that in kickboxing. UFC and the MMA game, I think, is still going to rise. I just think there’s another piece of the market, just like people watch boxing. People are watching Metamoris jiu-jitsu. They’re watching AGON wrestling. The action is fun, and it’s different than MMA, but there’s room for it. I think the level of entertainment is very high, and the pace of the fights are fun for people to watch.

“There’s some really great fighters out there that people just don’t know, like Tyrone Spong. That guy is a beast. I selfishly wish he’d only stay in kickboxing. He’s a master. I had the chance to train with him and Alistair Overeem many years ago in Amsterdam, and he was already accomplished at a young age. You just knew he was going to be something special. He was one of those guys that when you train, he reminds you of why you want to stay retired. He’s fantastic. It’s really cool, though, to see kickboxing on TV in America.”

GLORY returns to action on Saturday night in New York at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The two-hour Spike TV broadcast airs at 9 p.m. ET and features a four-man lightweight tournament that includes top pound-for-pound striker Giorgio Petrosyan.

Roufus said he doesn’t expect the sport to ever overcome MMA in terms of popularity, but he does feel there’s a market for both to strive, and he credits the UFC’s spot on network television as the primary reason fans are starting to seek out other combat sports, as well.

“Each year we’re on FOX, it’s making our sport more mainstream,” Roufus said. “Ten years ago, when I was doing K-1 and a little commentary, if I explained to people what that was, they had no clue. Seriously. I would have to go into a long, in-depth description, and they’d think it was more like ‘The Karate Kid.’ Now, today, people know what muay Thai is. They know what kickboxing is. They know what jiu-jitsu is.

“I’m looking forward to the synergy of combat sports with the UFC being the king of MMA and GLORY kickboxing having this good synergy with them. We all train together, and we all watch each other’s sports. Rashad Evans was in Tyrone’s corner. Miguel Cotto’s coach was in Tyrone’s corner. Tyrone is training in an MMA gym. We all cross-pollenate. It’s a cool environment for combat sports. Obviously, when a guy like Floyd Mayweather is getting into the MMA industry, that tells you something. This thing isn’t going anywhere. It’s only getting bigger, better and stronger.”