Roufusport, one of the top fight brands in MMA today, enjoyed a momentous year that saw some of the biggest wins its fight team has ever enjoyed. Capped off by the “Fight of the Year” performance that garnered Anthony “Showtime” Pettis the WEC Lightweight Championship, as well as a future title shot at the UFC lightweight strap, 2010 exemplified the fighting spirit, toughness, and heart Roufusport fighters embody. Head coach and trainer Duke Roufus’ fight team had an amazing year.
While most of the attention has gone to “The Showtime Kick” employed by Pettis at WEC 53, which was recently named as one of ESPN’s “Top Plays” of 2010, Roufusport competitors enjoyed a great year all-around:
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis: Undefeated in 2010 fighting in the confines of the WEC, Pettis punched his ticket to a UFC lightweight title shot with his fantastic tilt with Ben Henderson at the final WEC event ever. During the course of the year, Pettis finished Danny Castillo with an amazing head kick KO, and submitted Alex Karalexis and Shane Roller, in addition to his scrap with Henderson . What a year it was for “Showtime.”
Pat “HD” Barry: Though he only fought once in 2010, Barry really splashed onto the MMA scene with his first UFC main card fight at UFC 98. There, “HD” took on his fight idol, Mirko Cro Cop, in an exciting fight that saw Barry put Cro Cop down twice in the 1st round, garnering a ton of attention. Though he took a tough 3rd round loss, Barry solidified his status as a heavyweight division gamer, and looks to rebound in 2011.
Alan “The Talent” Belcher: One of the most exciting fighters in the UFC’s 185-pound division, Belcher won his only fight of 2010 in spectacular fashion. “The Talent” utilized a brutal piledriver-type mechanism en route to a rear-naked choke victory over former middleweight title challenger Patrick Cote at UFC 113. Unfortunately, Belcher was forced to withdraw from his UFN 22 main event bout against Demian Maia due to a detached retina. However, he is on the mend, and should be back with his sights set on a title shot in 2011.
Erik “New Breed” Koch: Considered by many to be a prodigy in the sport, the 22-year old Koch suffered his first and only defeat in 2010. However, as they say, fighters learn more from losses than wins, and Koch rebounded to win both his remaining bouts to finish out the year. At WEC 52, the rising featherweight earned the “Knockout of the Night” bonus when he ended his 96-second encounter with Francisco Rivera with a left head kick followed by strikes on the ground. Building on the momentum from that bout, Koch is looking to 2011 as an opportunity to position himself for a shot at the newly-christened UFC featherweight belt.
Daniel “Danny Boy” Downes: Anthony Pettis’ win at WEC 53 made it 2-0 for Roufusport that evening, with Daniel Downes garnering the initial victory when he vanquished “The Mongolian Wolf” Tie Quan Zhang on the undercard. Looking ahead to 2011, “Danny Boy” is bound and determined to prove he belongs amongst the UFC’s best at 155 lbs.
These are just some of the Roufusport combatants who experienced success in 2010. With the books now closed on an amazing 2010, the New Year is already shaping up to be even better. The Roufusport brand is set to explode!
