Issue 023

Legendary cutman Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran pays tribute to the career of his mentor, longtime friend and ally, the great Leon Tabbs.

It’s October of 2005 and I am frantically working on the head of Evan Tanner, at UFC Fight Night 2. The end had arrived late in round two and Evan had five cuts after being pummeled by elbow specialist Davis Loiseau. Like an angel from above, and showing the professionalism he was renowned for, Leon Tabbs came and helped me work on Tanner to give him some dignity in defeat.

That is the kind of person Leon is. He’s always concerned for the health and safety of a fighter.

My friend and mentor has decided to retire and fulfill his bucket list. Fighters retire and hang up their gloves, Leon will be hanging up his swabs and endswell, the same tools he expertly used to change the lives of many victorious fighters. His legacy is second to none.

I’d like to pay a tribute to Leon by sharing some of our moments together.

Prior to his retirement, Leon was the only remaining active member from UFC 1. He actually did everything by himself, until Dana White brought me in to help him at UFC 32. Think about that, for about seven years, Leon was the man for wrapping hands and fixing cuts in the UFC, and he’s been with the promotion for almost 20 years – from November 12th 1993 to June 22nd 2012.

One of his funny stories is when Frank Shamrock fought Tito Ortiz at UFC 22. It was an amazing fight and both guys got cut. Leon, being the lone cutman, had to choose who to help. He chose Frank and fixed him up. That move irritated Tito, and for the longest time he was mad at Leon because he didn’t help him, but Tito finally forgave him.

Leon being the old-school cutman he is, was in the corner of David Heath when he fought Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral. Heath had his own cutwoman and when Babalu landed a vicious elbow on his head, blood poured out profusely. She froze and didn’t know what to do. Leon watched her sizzle in fright and then came to the rescue. I asked him why he didn’t help her sooner. He said: “If she wants to be a cutwoman, she has to take the good with the bad.” We never saw her again! Being a cutman (or cutwoman) is a specialized trade that takes years to perfect and the UFC is not the place to learn.

At the first Ken Shamrock-Tito Ortiz fight, Ken also had his own cutman. After taking a beating for a couple rounds, Shamrock’s cutman went to work, but had a hard time. He came back to his seat and asked Leon if he could take over. By then the damage was done and Shamrock looked like the elephant man. Not even Leon could do much to help him.

Leon and I have traveled the world together working fights. Once, we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Sydney. His order was loaded with hot chili peppers. He started eating and the sweat beaded up on his forehead. I started laughing and told him they were for flavor, and not to be eaten. I am sure he regretted eating those chili peppers the following day!

I asked Leon why he is calling it quits. “My kids are set, my health is good, and I have money,” he said. And he has his bucket list. First thing on there was a 10-day trip to his favorite country, England, where he was stationed while serving in the United States Air Force. He wanted to watch the Olympics and had reserved tickets to see track and field events as well as boxing and basketball.  

I could go on and on with many more stories, but I want to close by saying Leon Tabbs is one of a kind. he gave me some of the greatest moments in my life and is an absolutely integral part of the history of the UFC. I know I’ll miss him, and I’m sure the fighters and fans will miss him as well.

I hope Dana White and the UFC see the value Leon brought to the game and consider him the next time they induct someone into the UFC Hall of Fame. He absolutely deserves it.

Afterword: Sadly Leon Tabbs passed away in 2018, aged 86. Among his MMA family, his legend lives on.