Sergio Pettis is preparing for PFL Chicago without his late coach Duke Roufus, who passed away in October 2025. This marks Pettis's first competition without Roufus, who had been a mentor since he was 14 years old.
Itâs been âweirdâ for Sergio Pettis to prepare for PFL Chicago, which is his first time entering competition without coach Duke Roufus by his side.
The leader of Roufusport MMA Academy died in October 2025, just days after he flew to Dubai to corner Pettis in an incredible spinning back elbow knockout over Magomed Magomedov, and âThe Phenomâ still struggles with the idea that Roufus is no longer around.
âEven without the fight, it was just hard to lose Duke in general,â Pettis told MMA Fighting. âHeâs been my father figure pretty much since I was 14 years old. Been with me for every single one of my competitions, so not having him here does feel a little awkward, a little weird, but he left me with some great people.â
Pettis faces undefeated PFL newcomer Mitch McKee in the main event of the Chicago card at the Wintrust Arena. Thatâs his 33rd professional fight, and Roufus has been his mentor since his teenage years. Pettis has Scott Cushman â also his coach for nearly two decades â and jiu-jitsu trainer/teammate Chris Wright in his corner.
âThese guys just keep me grounded and keep me focused on what I got to focus on,â Pettis said. âIâm gonna put all that to the side and go out there and perform and do this in memory of my coach.â
âItâs just been a weird reality not having him here anymore,â he continued. âItâs been just so used to seeing him every day. Iâve seen this guy more than Iâve seen my mom, more than Iâve seen my closest cousins. So, yeah, itâs been different, man. Been really hard to accept the reality of it. It is really hard. I almost feel like heâs gonna come back, but obviously I know the truth of that. Itâs a tough one, itâs definitely a tough one.â
At the same time heâs âvery excitedâ to compete in Chicago, Pettis feels he has âa lot to proveâ competing close to his hometown and with his son in attendance. On top of that, he puts it on himself to honor Roufusâs martial arts legacy in and out of the cage.
âAll the skillset that heâs taught me, everything heâs taught me from 14 years old Iâm passing on to my other teammates and trying to keep the level high,â Pettis said. âMan, thatâs how Iâm gonna keep his memory alive. Long live Duke Roufus. Thankfully he instilled all his beautiful things in me in the gym, outside the gym, and thatâs how I believe Iâll keep his memory alive. I still feel him, I feel like heâs here with spiritually.â
The legacy of Duke Roufus lives on đ
Sergio Pettis takes his first look at his custom @TakedownShop shorts honoring his late coach and mentor Duke Roufus
PFL Chicago will air LIVE on ESPN 2 on Saturday, April 11th
A former Bellator champion, Pettis enters the PFL cage riding great momentum after big victories over Raufeon Stots and Magomedov, and admits he expected more from the promotion than welcoming a relatively unknown prospect in McKee.
âIâm never surprised with any of my opponents,â Pettis said. âObviously, I did think I deserved a title shot after that last performance, landing a spinning elbow against Magomed Magomedov, whoâs never been knocked out or ever been hurt like that. I was a little surprised not getting the title shot, but at the same time Iâm here to stay busy. Iâm here to stay active. Iâve never said no to anybody that they put me against, so Iâm not gonna start now. So they offered Mitchell McKee, so be it.â
Pettis said he wasnât given a reason as to why heâs not fighting for the belt straight away, but sees PFL âmixing up the division a little bitâ and âfiguring things outâ under a new regime. That being said, he does feel he has more to lose than gain from facing an opponent like McKee.
âItâs definitely a risky fight,â Pettis said. âBig opportunity for him and just another opportunity for me to stay busy and stay active. Interesting matchup, I do agree on that end. If you look at it from that point of view, me just being who I am, Iâm looking at as a competitive point of view as a fighter, so thatâs all I really see it as another fight, another competitive opponent. Heâs 10-0, he hasnât tasted defeat yet, and heâs gonna have some confidence because when youâre 10-0 and you havenât been hurt yet or been defeated yet, you go out there and fight to your capabilities. Iâm excited to see what he brings.â
âI take every fighter seriously,â he continued. âI know that coming in here and fighting in general is a dangerous sport and it could be anybodyâs night that night. I took this fight here as if he were a champion. I take every fight if these guys are some of the best in the world. Thatâs my mentality going into it. Heâs another guy thatâs trying to take my head off in front of my family and friends, and Iâm gonna go out there and make sure he doesnât.â
Pettis vows to keep title aspirations out of his mind the he walks to the cage in Chicago, looking for âa fun fightâ to âshow my performance capabilities.â With a 25-7 professional record that includes 18 decision victories, âThe Phenomâ vows to âgo out there and hopefully have some highlight knockouts.â
âThereâs a couple ways I think I can get the job done,â Pettis said. âI think my skill set beats his. I think just striking portion, I definitely like to keep it there always, thatâs my style, stand-up fighter. But also, I think heâs gonna be surprised with my grappling. Iâve been fighting a lot of top-tier guys, wrestlers, grapplers, and I think I got him defeated in that department as well. But weâll see how I put things together.â
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