Coach Duke Roufus on Mayweather vs McGregor
Coach Duke Roufus, head coach at Roufus fighting sports and coach to current Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley. Former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis and his brother Sergio Pettis. Spoke at length about what he believes Conor McGregor has to to do to beat Floyd Mayweather.
Duke compared Floyd’s guard to that of BJJ phenom Demian Maia. Saying that you should avoid the guard of Floyd like you would Maia. The reason that Mayweather has done so well, especially against Latino fighters. Is because they are walk-on fighters.
So what Conor needs to do is fight really long and take pot shots. Don’t try to engage him in a boxing match. Engage him in an MMA range. Duke believes that the strategy won’t lead to an exciting boxing match. But that this is how he will do well.
Conor McGregor Needs To Stay Awkward
He reckons that Oscar De La Hoya did well against Floyd. With many Internal pundits actually giving him the fight. But Conor should stay awkward, in the same way, Horn did with Manny Pacquiao in Australia.
Horn was more of a brawler and it’s fighters like that who give technical fighters problems. For instance, Prince Naseem Hamed. How do you train for this guy because he doesn’t box like anyone else?
This is the main advice coach Roufus has for Conor. The MMA World is backing their guy no doubt. Duke loves boxing, but it will be great for MMA for Conor to win this fight!
He comments on the differences between the two sports. In that in boxing, they reward good defence and the guy being the best boxer. But in MMA we reward offence. Duke comes out with his own great analogy saying that American’s do not like Soccer so much. Too much defensive play in relation to US sports. So American’s can’t get excited about it, they don’t score enough. They don’t attack enough.
Coach Roufus goes on to break down that why in his eyes boxing is failing, while MMA is rising. What the promoters need to do. And how fighters, once they get past their own egos. Need to see it just as much as a business.
