It’s been “weird” 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 “The Phenom” still struggles with the idea that Roufus is no longer around.
“Even without the fight, it was just hard to lose Duke in general,” Pettis told MMA Fighting. “He’s
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.”
Pettis faces undefeated PFL newcomer Mitch McKee in the main event of the Chicago card at the Wintrust Arena. That’s his 33rd professional fight, and Roufus has been his mentor since his teenage years. Pettis has Scott Cushman — also his coach for nearly two decades — and jiu-jitsu trainer/teammate Chris Wright in his corner.
“These guys just keep me grounded and keep me focused on what I got to focus on,” Pettis said. “I’m gonna put all that to the side and go out there and perform and do this in memory of my coach.”
“It’s just been a weird reality not having him here anymore,” he continued. “It’s been just so used to seeing him every day. I’ve seen this guy more than I’ve seen my mom, more than I’ve seen my closest cousins. So, yeah, it’s been different, man. Been really hard to accept the reality of it. It is really hard. I almost feel like he’s gonna come back, but obviously I know the truth of that. It’s a tough one, it’s definitely a tough one.”
At the same time he’s “very excited” to compete in Chicago, Pettis feels he has “a lot to prove” competing close to his hometown and with his son in attendance. On top of that, he puts it on himself to honor Roufus’s martial arts legacy in and out of the cage.
“All the skillset that he’s taught me, everything he’s taught me from 14 years old I’m passing on to my other teammates and trying to keep the level high,” Pettis said. “Man, that’s how I’m 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 that’s how I believe I’ll keep his memory alive. I still feel him, I feel like he’s here with spiritually.”
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.
“I’m never surprised with any of my opponents,” Pettis said. “Obviously, I did think I deserved a title shot after that last performance, landing a spinning elbow against Magomed Magomedov, who’s 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 I’m here to stay busy. I’m here to stay active. I’ve never said no to anybody that they put me against, so I’m not gonna start now. So they offered Mitchell McKee, so be it.”
Pettis said he wasn’t given a reason as to why he’s not fighting for the belt straight away, but sees PFL “mixing up the division a little bit” and “figuring things out” under a new regime. That being said, he does feel he has more to lose than gain from facing an opponent like McKee.
“It’s definitely a risky fight,” Pettis said. “Big 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, I’m looking at as a competitive point of view as a fighter, so that’s all I really see it as another fight, another competitive opponent. He’s 10-0, he hasn’t tasted defeat yet, and he’s gonna have some confidence because when you’re 10-0 and you haven’t been hurt yet or been defeated yet, you go out there and fight to your capabilities. I’m excited to see what he brings.”
“I take every fighter seriously,” he continued. “I know that coming in here and fighting in general is a dangerous sport and it could be anybody’s 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. That’s my mentality going into it. He’s another guy that’s trying to take my head off in front of my family and friends, and I’m gonna go out there and make sure he doesn’t.”
Pettis vows to keep title aspirations out of his mind the he walks to the cage in Chicago, looking for “a fun fight” to “show my performance capabilities.” With a 25-7 professional record that includes 18 decision victories, “The Phenom” vows to “go out there and hopefully have some highlight knockouts.”
“There’s a couple ways I think I can get the job done,” Pettis said. “I think my skill set beats his. I think just striking portion, I definitely like to keep it there always, that’s my style, stand-up fighter. But also, I think he’s gonna be surprised with my grappling. I’ve been fighting a lot of top-tier guys, wrestlers, grapplers, and I think I got him defeated in that department as well. But we’ll see how I put things together.”
