The Rise of Roufusport

The basement of Ian McDonald is a treasure trove. Filled with memorabilia galore and as many obscure 80s references as you could imagine, it is just the place for friends to watch a fight. The tv screen is not of substantial size, but its perfect for the 12 or so people gathered to watch Israel Adesanya lose to Jan Blachowicz in Adesanya’s light heavyweight debut. Of those in that basement, many of them are fighters themselves. They all share one thing in common, Roufusport.

              Roufusport is one of the most prominent Mixed Martial Arts gyms in the nation, and it’s right here in Milwaukee. Established in 2006 by former professional kickboxer Duke Roufus, it has become a haven for those who want to fight and learn how to fight. Many who have trained there have gone on to win professional titles. Although it is known for its elite training and champion caliber fighters, most notably Anthony Pettis and Tyrone Woodley, the majority who train there are amateur.              

Andrew Jakubicz has been training at Roufusport since 2019 and focuses on the discipline of jiu-jitsu. He remembers his first day at the gym very clearly.

“It was a lot, you’re thrown into the deep end in jiu-jitsu,” said Jakubicz. “I learned kimuras that day, and I had no idea what a kimura was or how it was applied.”

While training at an MMA gym is a hobby for most, there are some who go on to fight in the professional realm of the sport. Featherweight and Roufusport fighter Jordan Griffin has been professional since 2011 and has seen major changes in the sport since then.

“It’s safer than it was 10 years ago,” Griffin said. “I wasn’t thinking about the safety of it at first, but now everything is more regulated.”

While safety is more important than ever in sports, Griffin recalls a situation which caused him to join the gym.

“I was jumped by six dudes at a gas station, the next day I was in the gym,” said Griffin.

Griffin is not the only one who cites self-defense as their reason to join. Paulina Horst has been training jiu-jitsu since 2019.

“I think the confidence from knowing self-defense, people want to share it,” said Horst.

She, like many others, has noticed the rise in popularity, especially amongst her friends and family.

“My mom is now doing kickboxing,” said Horst. “Other friends have shown interest, my other friends in the gym have brought their friends.”

Horst wanted to wrestle when she was in high school but was not allowed to do so as a woman. When she joined Roufusport, she originally started with the discipline of kickboxing. An injury sustained during her first few months scared her from returning, until she tried jiu-jitsu. Like many others in the sport, she aspires to fight at a higher level.

“Before I’m 30, I would love to do at least one amateur fight,” Horst said.

The ambition to fight at the amateur or professional level is a driving force for many in the gym. But for those who do it as a hobby, it can be hard to maintain the worth ethic to train and improve every day. MMA is a grueling sport and takes a toll on the body.

Sitting in on a training session at Roufusport, it is easy to see why so many who train only do so as a hobby. The master runs through warm-ups, then people partner off and train the moves that are on the docket for the lesson. Today’s lesson was learning to pass control and the kimura. Passing control consists of when one is on their back and must escape the control their opponent has on top. On the face it seems rather rudimentary, but the pressure of another human being laying on top of you exhausts even the most in shape fighter. The kimura is a submission hold in which a person twists another’s arm behind their back until its completely turned the wrong way. If a person does not tap, the arm can be completely broken.

This pain and exhaustion is shared by all those who train MMA, and it brings them closer together. Seeing friends and fellow fighters improve and work hard every day is essential to the camaraderie that resonates throughout the walls of Roufusport.

“It really has that brother familyhood mentality,” said Griffin. “We’re all there to support each other. To people who want to accept the lifestyle, they’re going to prosper in this sport.”

Of course, Griffin is one of a select few who make it to the professional level. For those who merely train for fun it can be much more therapeutic.

“I feel more calm because I know I can handle myself,” said Ben Martin, a trainee at Roufusport. “I feel the same way as I do after I lift weights. It’s easier to be Zen when you’re putting in that kind of work.”

That calming effect can be felt back in Ian McDonalds basement. While those fighting on the screen are anything but calm, those watching are as relaxed as can be. Analyzing and dissecting every move the fighters make, it has become more a study than a fight night. After the fights for the evening have ended everyone grabs their things and heads home. One thing on everyone’s mind is when they will next see each other. It will either be in that basement for the next fights, or on the mats at Roufusport. Either way, it will be MMA.

Roufusport Martial Arts Academy
321 North 76th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53213

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