Months after its founder’s death, Roufusport’s impact is still strong

Tucked away on North 76th Street in Milwaukee, below Blue’s Egg Cafe, is Roufusport Mixed Martial Arts Academy. Across two decades, it built a national and even global reputation in MMA circles for training champions. That attention became acutely local in October of 2025, when founder and Milwaukee native Jeffrey “Duke” Roufus died in his sleep.“Duke Roufus, back in the day, 4 years old, got started in martial arts,” his friend and longtime business partner Scott Joffe recalled. “Next thing you know, he's a professional fighter. Next thing you know, he's one of the top MMA coaches in the world.”But what does an organization do when it loses the person who provided not just their name, but also the philosophy that made it a success? To find out how Roufusport has persevered, guest host Jon Adler goes to the academy and talks with the people carrying on its founder's legacy.#####Guest host: Jon AdlerUniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.