Sports · Combat Sports · 12 hrs ago
Sergio Pettis leaves Roufusport after coach Duke Roufus's death
Sergio Pettis has left Roufusport, the gym where he trained for much of his career.
He said the death of head coach Duke Roufus in October made returning to the gym feel wrong.
Roufus had coached Pettis since he was 13 and was a father figure to him.
Pettis stayed at Roufusport for his next fight, but lost to Mitch McKee in April.
He says he has since trained with new coaches and partners at gyms in Illinois and Milwaukee.
Pettis is preparing to fight Joji Goto at PFL Dubai on November 14.
The bout is scheduled for the Coca-Cola Arena, where Pettis and Roufus last shared a moment in the cage.
Sergio Pettis has left Roufusport, the gym where he trained under coach Duke Roufus, who died last year.
Pettis said training at the gym without Roufus did not feel right and that he needed to make changes.
He has trained at Valle Flow Striking in Illinois and at Pura Vida and Wanderley JiuJitsu in Milwaukee.
Pettis is scheduled to fight Joji Goto at PFL Dubai on November 14.
Roufus died in October, two weeks after cornering Pettis in his knockout win over Magomed Magomedov in Dubai.
- Who
- Sergio Pettis, a bantamweight contender and former Roufusport fighter.
- What
- He has left Roufusport and is training at other gyms after coach Duke Roufus’s death.
- When
- The article was published on November 9, 2026; Pettis is scheduled to fight on November 14.
- Where
- Pettis has trained at Valle Flow Striking in Illinois and Pura Vida and Wanderley JiuJitsu in Milwaukee.
- Why
- Pettis said the gym did not feel right without Roufus and that he needed to make changes.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Duke Roufus died, days after cornering Pettis in his stoppage win over Magomed Magomedov in Dubai.
Pettis lost to Mitch McKee in his return to action.
Pettis moved between different gyms and stopped going to Roufusport.
Pettis is scheduled to fight Joji Goto at PFL Dubai.
- New training locations
- Valle Flow Striking in Illinois; Pura Vida and Wanderley JiuJitsu in Milwaukee
- Former coach
- Duke Roufus
- Roufus’s age
- 55
- Next opponent
- Joji Goto
- Scheduled event
- PFL Dubai, November 14
What people are saying
I’ve been with Duke since I was 13 years old and not having him around was really weird.
I was still training at Roufusport, I wanted to leave a legacy but going to the gym just didn’t feel right.
I found some new training partners and coaches that I felt were more compatible with me at the moment.
It was devastating and still to this day is devastating, that’s my homie.