Issue 099
March 2013
Outstanding Contribution of the Year
The original UFC cutman hung up his swabs and endswell for the final time last summer, but after a lifetime in fight sports and two decades with the UFC, the Fighters Only Awards ceremony led a fitting farewell to one of the sport’s greatest unsung heroes
The sport finally got the opportunity to pay tribute to the great Leon Tabbs during the Fifth Fighters Only World MMA Awards ceremony, as the UFC’s original cutman picked up the silver statue for ‘Lifetime Achievement’ in the sport of mixed martial arts.
One of the true consummately professional yet unsung heroes of MMA, Tabbs retired in August after more than 50 years of exemplary service to both boxing and mixed martial arts. Aged 84, Leon is a massively respected icon in the field of patching up fighters between rounds, with an unparalleled reputation.
Whereas the UFC is considered the mainstream pioneer of MMA promotion, and Bruce Lee is accredited as the icon bestowed with inspiring the planet’s fastest growing sport, Tabbs bears the honour of the inaugural trailblazer in the field of MMA cutmen.
In his younger years, he was a pugilist himself, albeit in the squared circle. After his competitive aspirations eventually steered him into the role of a manager – for the late, great heavyweight Joe Frazier – and, after, a trainer and cutman. And it was in the latter capacity he was invited to the UFC’s historical premiere: UFC 1, on November 12th 1993. Like so many others that night, it was Tabbs’ first plunge into the world of mixed martial arts.
Today, each corner is typically assigned a cutman. However, in the primitive era of the sport’s inception, which preceded contemporary regulations such as weight classes, the enforcement of the Unified Rules and stringent medical policies, Tabbs was the sole cutman for the entire event.
This overbearing workload often resulted in Tabbs scurrying back and forth from one corner to another in the brief pauses betwixt rounds, or even being forced to quickly assess the condition of both competitors and prioritise his attention based on the severity of damage.
An MMA fight has exponentially more variables than most athletic pursuits and is therefore virtually incomparable to any other competition, and Tabbs – who had no certified course to sign up for, no experienced mentor to consult, nor a blueprint to follow – was forced to learn on the job.
And with the heightened propensity for cuts, haematomas and abrasions in MMA – inflicted by elbows, knees or shins rather than liberally padded gloves – the critical significance and influence of Tabbs and his role increased equally.
Calling from his hands-on experience as a medic when he was drafted into the US Air Force for the Korean War, Tabbs underwent a trial by fire and graduated from the proverbial ‘School of Hard Knocks.’ His top-notch, on-the-job experience propelled him to an admirable and fulfilling career, just shy of 20 years in MMA alone, where he’ll be remembered as the first and the best cutman in the sport’s history.
Having embraced the circumstances of a behind-the-scenes employee with a thankless job, most casual followers have no idea who Tabbs is and couldn’t pick him out of a line-up. And he’s quite content with that. His accolades lie in lesser-known facts, such as long-standing UFC champion’s Randy Couture and Matt Hughes not asking for, but demanding Leon be present in their corner.
Or the grudge former UFC champion Tito Ortiz briefly held against him for opting to attend Frank Shamrock at UFC 22 – after all, Leon being the only cutman had to choose one of them, and decided Shamrock was in worse shape.
Or even working alongside boxing legends like ‘Smokin’ Joe’ Frazier, a name recognised by all sports fans, and Bernard Hopkins, considered one of the greatest middleweight champions in boxing history.
Most of all, however, Tabbs’ lifelong dedication to his career is fully authenticated by the respect he commands and the unadulterated integrity that defines his legacy. Ask any professional athlete who’s had the pleasure of working with him and it’s clear the faculties and experience Tabbs brought to the Octagon will be dearly missed.
“Leon and I came from a sport (boxing) where a lot of guys weren’t credited with integrity,” says fellow Philadelphian and longtime cohort Burt Watson, the UFC’s site coordinator. “And the credit to his legacy is that the bigger-name guys used Leon because he had integrity and was trustworthy. And he was the best at this craft.”
Another MMA pioneer, Pat Miletich, who went on to train and oversee roughly 30 fighters in the UFC through his Miletich Fighting Systems team, also spoke highly of Tabbs’ impact on the sport. He says: “Leon put so many fighters of mine back together during fights that I really wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“Leon is one of a kind,” adds his protégé and today’s most renowned UFC cutman, Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran. “He gave me some of the greatest moments in my life and was an integral part of the UFC. I will miss him, the fans will miss him and, most of all, I’m sure, the fighters will too. He absolutely deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame.”
While Tabbs, who is also a cancer survivor, is just too downright humble and selfless to seek out a pat on the back, that doesn’t mean those familiar with his laudable career won’t see him off without acknowledging his under-appreciated accomplishments.
For clocking in practically two decades in the role of the unsung hero in MMA, and over 50 years of service to boxing, the man who carved out the mold for cutmen in mixed martial arts deserves to have his praises sung. Thank you Leon Tabbs, MMA owes you a huge debt of gratitude.
