Issue 105

Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran is a legendary cutman with vast experience in combat sports.

Many of my dreams have been realized, and I’ve watched countless UFC stars and boxers reach their dreams of having their hand raised.

When I see a fighter reach his or her dream, I think about all they went through to get to that point: the long hours in the gym, the blood and sweat, the losses, the pain, the doubt, the climb toward the top. It takes a lot of hard work to achieve greatness.

I also talked about my ultimate dream of leaving a legacy in combat sports. I want others to learn from me and then eventually surpass me when it comes to skill and knowledge. This process has required many hours of talking to aspiring cutmen and showing them how I wrap hands and fix cuts, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

It’s also led to the development of new products or improvement on old products that the cutman needs in order to be his or her best. One of my favorite products actually came to me in a real dream: the KO Swell.

The old-school endswells are designed as a flat piece of stainless steel used to reduce swelling on the face. I woke up in the middle of the night and the idea of curving the KO Swell to conform to the cheekbone and eyebrows of a fighter’s face made sense to me. I rolled over and flipped on the lamp – I was in a hotel because I was working a fight – and I sketched it on a piece of paper.

The following morning I went and bought some clay and molded my prototype, and soon the real deal was available. This is the same KO Swell that UFC cutman Don House used to minimize the swelling on the face of Frankie Edgar in his second fight with Benson Henderson. And he used it perfectly. He didn’t push on the mouse and try to move it. He just kept firm pressure to help reduce the swelling.

Another part of my dream is to offer the fighters every opportunity to win a fight when they get cut. Many of the trainers and cutmen have a difficult time getting the necessary medications because they are only available with a prescription. Now there’s a new product available that I, and the other high-level cutmen, have been using. Qwick-Aid is 100% natural. Plus, it doesn’t require a prescription. Hopefully, this will help trainers and cutmen everywhere. 

A major part of my job is to protect the hands of a fighter. It’s important to give the fighter a comfort zone knowing he can stand toe-to-toe with his opponent and not worry about injuring his hands. I met a young man named Ian Dixon who had the same desire to protect fighters’ hands. He showed me a roll of tape that he had created and wanted my opinion on it.

It has the perforated edges, conforms to the hand, and is easy to rip, all the benefits of a good tape. We teamed up to create Stitch Premium Tape that is becoming an instant hit in the boxing and MMA industry. I’m very proud of it because I know it will help so many.

It’s interesting how it works, because when one or two of your dreams become reality they seem to build on each other and things keep getting better and better. I had met Robin Offner, president of Bad Boy, while in Brazil. We had dinner with our friend Mario Yamasaki and discussed these products and how I wanted to make them available on a worldwide scale.

Robin and I met for the second time at the Fighters Only World MMA Awards in Las Vegas in January. We chatted and decided to talk. A week later, my wife and I drove to his office in San Diego and met with him and his staff. It turns out their dream is similar to mine. Bad Boy also wants to create an atmosphere where the fighter is protected, the trainers have the proper tools to take care of their fighters, and the fans understand the fight game.

Their new slogan, ‘I’m possible,’ convinced me that everything is possible. As one dream after another comes true and I am able to continue to help the fighters and the sport, I know leaving a legacy is possible.

It doesn’t matter what your dreams are. It doesn’t matter how far away they seem or how difficult they are to reach. Stay positive and persistent, and one day you will reach them... I’m not only sure of it, I’m proof of it.