MMA legend visits Bristol

BY SPENCER CAMPBELL
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Duke Roufus was, at one time, the world’s heavyweight kickboxing champion.

But on Tuesday, Roufus was taken to his knees by barbecue. That would be the Ridgewood Barbecue, in nearby Bluff City.

“It’s good. I went to Kansas City last summer and had some of their best,” Roufus said. “I’ll put the Ridgewood up to the Pepsi challenge. I just had the sandwich, and I’m feeling a little slow.”

He felt the same way a few hours later after sampling some of the area’s finest amateur mixed martial arts fighters, as a guest instructor at Absolute Jiu Jitsu.

“It reminds me of the rib house I went to today,” Roufus said of Absolute. “Good family cooking, good family training.”

No longer a fighter, Roufus has turned all of his attention to instruction. Duke Roufus Academy teaching centers dot the country, and list MMA professionals Patrick Berry and Alan Belcher, loser of a controversial decision at UFC 100, among their A-list roster.

He even instructed Dustin Diamond – Screech from “Saved by the Bell” – for Fox’s Celebrity Boxing 2. Screech scored a KO. 

“Duke’s a pretty big name in the UFC now,” Absolute Jiu Jitsu owner and head instructor Dee Smith said. “Most of the guys who are training or are familiar with the sport are familiar with Duke. He’s considered one of the best American kickboxing trainers. He’s had his hands on tons of guys you see fight in the UFC.”

And on Tuesday Absolute fighters were treated to almost three hours worth of important instruction from Roufus.

He began the session by drawing a sparring partner to the middle of the practice circle, before proceeding to whack him with a few good leg kicks.

Each fighter was wearing shin guards, so no one was in much pain. After all, this was all about instruction, and Roufus was attempting to diagram the proper way to bring an opponent to his knees – without using barbecue.

“This is my favorite thing when I fight,” Roufus said, before reconsidering. “Or when I used to fight. I’m too old and brain-damaged now.”

Although the last part probably isn’t true, Roufus does not fight anymore. He did have a good run, however, winning the heavyweight crown four different times.

But Roufus has no remorse about leaving the fighting world behind – at least not the bruises and blood the fighting left on him.

“I’m always going to miss competing, but not the aftermath,” Roufus said. “I’ve had a discovery when I got older about coming into who you really are. I really enjoy teaching, and not just the guys in the UFC ... I’m talking about the lady that I train that lost 50 pounds, the assistant principal, the woman who’s walking a little taller because she’s training.”

Roufus also seems to have a knack for instruction. Absolute’s patrons have become a bit spoiled by the big names that pop into the gym – Greg Nelson, Eddie Bravo, Mark Laymen, etc. – but they still think of Roufus as one of the gym’s best visiting professors.

“I pick up so many things,” said Daniel Crockett, an amateur fighter and one of the top 180-pounders in the Tri-Cities. “They’re really simple techniques that anybody can use if they just practice. You just learn so much off him because he breaks it into bits and pieces.”

Still, visiting places like Bristol, Tenn., seeing how many learned fighters live here, being confronted again and again with just how far MMA has expanded still shocks Roufus.

“It’s ... crazy,” Roufus said. “I never imagined the sport would get as big as it did in my wildest dreams. I still pinch myself.”

|(276) 645-2543