Duke Roufus has his hands full prepping UFC lightweight Anthony Pettis for a showdown with Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181, but he and his team are currently on the receiving end of a barrage of negative PR.
Following an article posted by John Diedrich of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explaining the events that led to the death of Dennis Munson, former students and coaches have lashed out at Roufus and how his gym is run.
Although the incident took place back in March, the MJS article was published over the weekend. Diedrich’s account is very in-depth, does a great job of collecting facts from nearly everyone who was present and paints the picture of numerous examples of incompetency that led to Munson's death.
It is definitely worth a read to not only explain the details of the situation at hand, but also provide examples of what combat sports officials shouldn’t do in future bouts.
The problems began with Munson having to weigh in the same day as the event, a practice that’s been heavily criticized for not allowing fighters to rehydrate themselves properly. Munson’s brother also stated in Diedrich’s report that he cannot remember his brother drinking anything, despite the fact that his brother said he was thirsty.
The downward spiral continued with a seeming lack of interest in fighter safety on the part of the ringside physician and Munson's corner. Squabbles over what treatment to provide and where to send Munson also likely contributed to Munon's death.
In addition, there was a video of the bout that clearly showed Munson was practically out on his feet during the final moments of the fight. And there are 32 seconds of crucial video edited out, which happens to be the time that Munson collapsed to the floor.
While Diedrich did an excellent job of pointing out all the mistakes that occurred in March, his findings have opened a whole new can of worms.
Rose Namajunas, who is a current competitor on The Ultimate Fighter 20, has used her Instagram account to paint Roufusport in a negative light. She also contributed a post on the ongoing discussion on the Underground forums, explaining why she decided to make her comments.
Littered throughout the Underground forum (as well as on Namajunas’ Instagram page) are posts from former students and even former coaches who confirm that the mentality inside Roufusport is not conducive to success.
The claims levied against the gym and coaches also seem to indicate that there's some validity behind the recent findings that Roufusport fighters have the highest injury percentage amongst major MMA camps, according to a report by LastWordonSports.com.
The aforementioned Pettis is making his first title defense after winning the UFC strap back in August 2013, after sitting on the sidelines due to a knee injury and coaching on TUF. Erik Koch saw his title aspirations come to a screeching halt as a result of injuries as well.
Chico Camus, a Milwaukee native, had a falling-out with Roufus in which the coach questioned Camus’ commitment level. However, it appears that the two sides reconciled, with Camus returning.
Roufusport has emerged as one of the top go-to spots in the Midwest for MMA training. It currently has the Pettis brothers under its roof, along with former Bellator and current ONE FC champion Ben Askren.
Currently, neither Roufus' nor Roufusport’s official Twitter page has made any mention about the recent backlash.
