Roufus: Will enjoy proving Punk naysayers wrong
Duke Roufus on training CM Punk: “And I’m really excited about the challenge, honestly. There are so many naysayers, but I enjoy that.”
It recently became official that Phil “CM Punk” Brooks would be preparing for his MMA/UFC debut at the famed Roufusport, alongside the likes of Anthony Pettis and Ben Askren. Punk has come under intense criticism from the hardcore fanbase for his complete lack of competitive experience in combat sports; the diagnosis was neatly summed up in two words by Nate Diaz – “virgin nose.” However, gym founder Duke Roufus says he is determined to prove the naysayers wrong.
“I am excited to work with him,” said Roufus to Chuck Mindenhall for MMA Fighting. “There are a bunch naysayers out there. I love it. I’d been saying for years in the WEC that Anthony Pettis was going to be something special. Well look at him now. He just submitted two guys [Benson Henderson, Gilbert Melendez] that hadn’t been submitted before.
“I’m just that type of person, I believe in positive mental attitude. You work hard and dedicate yourself and magic things happen.”
“And I’m really excited about the challenge, honestly. There are so many naysayers, but I enjoy that.”
“Look at Anthony [Pettis]. He’s not a natural, he’s a hard, hard worker. A lot of people think Anthony’s just a pretty boy, the Taekwondo kid. Honestly, he’s one of the hardest working people at our academy.
“And one thing I have heard about Phil and his personality is, I know he’s a hard worker. Anything’s possible when you have confidence and you have a great work ethic and a great attitude.”
“I think what limits people in the beginning of their training is that they don’t have enough time to train, honestly. That’s what made Anthony Pettis special. His brother let him take the backseat in their martial arts school, so Anthony could live at the academy when he started. Anthony used to take two classes in the morning and two classes in the evening when he first started training with me. That’s why he’s so darn good. So yeah, he’s a sponge, not unlike Phil.”
“What made Phil successful in the WWE is going to make him do well in this as well. Wrestling is not an easy gig. They do 300 dates a year … he worked really hard on the indie circuit on his way up through the WWE ranks.”
Roufus reports that Brooks starts on Monday. And how long until he is ready?
“Hopefully by fall, but I can’t really say,” said Roufus. “I mean, it could be less or it could be more. The one thing that him and Dana and Lorenzo talk about, they want him to be the real deal. I’m going to be committed to help him reach his goals.”