Issue 142
June 2016
Thanks to a new deal Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran sewed up with Bellator, fight sports’ premier cutman is back in the cage
Jacob Stitch Duran
MMA Cutman
The world was shocked when Jacob Duran was let go by the UFC last year. After speaking out against the promotion’s Reebok apparel deal – which stopped cutmen from making sponsorship money from the Octagon – the man better known as ‘Stitch’ was without a job in the cage for the first time in years. His options were limited. For a while it seemed possible he would leave mixed martial arts for good and focus on boxing.
Apart from the odd cameo appearance in WSOF, Stitch has been largely absent from the sport, but that all changed when he signed a multi-year contract with Bellator in March. Promotion president Scott Coker asked him to work Bellator’s first Dynamite show in September last year, but Duran admits he was reluctant to sign a long-term deal with the company at first.
His mind was quickly made up, however, when he discovered they would be branching out to launch Bellator Kickboxing shows – his first love and the catalyst for a friendship that has lasted for more than three decades.
“I’ve known Scott Coker (Bellator president) for 30 years,” Stitch tells FO. “When I had my kickboxing school in Fairfield, California, Scott was a kickboxing promoter in San Jose. My fighters could actually fight on his cards, so I knew Scott for years before he owned Strikeforce. We always had a friendship.”
Now an official part of the Bellator family, Stitch adds he’s been nothing but impressed by Coker’s actions since taking over two years ago. After a rocky 2015, Stitch now feels cutmen will finally get the recognition they deserve.
Always present but almost always just out of shot on MMA broadcasts, they are the silent soldiers of the combat sports world who walk to battle with the fighter to provide support and keep them in there.
“Scott has made the proper changes an organization needs to go through to do the right things,” Stitch says. “Bellator has realized that we do bring value to the game and we are a very, very important asset. That’s why I’ve decided Bellator is my home. We’re in the trenches and nobody realizes we’re there until we save their asses. Now we’ll be able to do that and get recognition. My job is to continue educating and letting the fans know what we do. With Bellator we’ll be able to do that.”
Another huge benefit of Stitch’s new contract is its flexibility. In the UFC, there was an “unwritten rule” he says not to work for other promotions. But now he can work other shows, along with other combat sports events, so long as his commitment to Bellator comes first. “That’s the way it should be,” he adds.
As for his old employers, Stitch bears no ill will towards the UFC or president Dana White. He doesn’t see much chance they will modify their policies based on his criticisms and allow cutmen to earn extra income in the Octagon. But that’s OK. That’s just business.
“I don’t see them changing,” he finishes. “There’s a lot of egos in their system. It’s tough, when you have a big ego, to take a back seat and say, ‘Alright, I made a mistake.’ I’m here for the sport. Dana and them are there for the UFC, which I understand.
“I understand the business aspect of it but I’m here as a liaison to make the sport better and increase the safety and education so we can all be happy. I don’t see them saying, ‘This is right, we should have done that.’ That’s not going to happen. But it’s their business.”
Business matters aside, Duran’s first job is to ensure fighters safety and help athletes to fight through adversity and entertain the fans. Now that’s a guarantee between rounds in Bellator’s MMA and kickboxing fights.
That’s a wrap
Fan-friendly interaction
Stitch is eager to bring Bellator fans closer to the action and offer some first-hand experience of his expertise in his new role.
“One of the programs I want to do is, after the weigh-ins, at a sports bar, we have a meet-and-greet with the fans. We’ll pick out some members from the audience and we – the cutmen – wrap their hands.
“Another thing I wanted to do is have a ‘cutman for the night’ contest. Whoever wins the will be able to spend the night with me in the dressing room to see how we actually prepare these fighters, what kind of frame of mind they’re in, how they warm up.
“They get to see everything that the normal fan doesn’t get to see and then they get to sit cageside and have the best seat in the house. Scott thought that was a great, great idea. So they’re going to implement those.”
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