Rick Roufus began his lifelong practice of the martial arts at the age of 5. He learned taekwondo from his father. He quickly rose through the national point karate circuit and debuted as a professional kickboxer in his late teens. He had his first professional fight in May 1985 against J.C. Owens, whom he defeated by decision.
In April 1987, he fought against John Moncayo for the world title of KICK at super middleweight. Roufus knocked out Moncayo in round 7 to win his first world title.
In the beginning of his career, Roufus fought under the rule of Full contact where leg kicks, elbow strikes, and knee attacks were not allowed. He changed directions on 5 November 1988 when he challenged Changpuek Kiatsongrit in a non-title fight in Las Vegas. His pre-fight kickboxing record was 28 perfect wins. Roufus knocked Changpuek down twice with his fists in the first round, causing him a broken jaw, during the break Chanpuek's corner spilled a bucket of water and ice in the ring trying to buy time for Changpuek to recover, finally Roufus lost by TKO in the fifth round due to the culmination of low kicks that he was not prepared for. Roufus had found out the same day of the fight that they would fight with leg kick rules. After the fight, the Roufus brothers sought out Thai experts to learn the art of kicking and kick control