Jacob “Stitch” Duran rushes into the octagon. After an action-packed first round, Duran applies the endswell to Griffin’s face – checking for swelling as the bell for round two is about to ring. Easy fight for Duran so far – no cuts. Round two begins and Stitch becomes a big fan – witness to a classic battle – then it happens.
At three minutes and forty-six seconds of the second round, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua lands a vicious right elbow to the forehead of Forrest Griffin and opens up a nasty cut. After absorbing punishment for an entire minute, Griffin fights Rua off and gets back on his feet. His face is a bloody mess. Both fighters take a second to admire each other’s work before the war resumes. Griffin’s blood has painted the octagon into a beautiful masterpiece. A mix of blood – pain – sweat. War paint oozing grit – splatters the canvas as the horn sounds to end the round. Both fighters struggle to get to their corner.
Duran, 70 years old, 6 feet tall with broad shoulders and a charming smile – remembers that historical fight night fondly. “That fight has been one of the best moments of my career within the fight game,” said Duran. The date was Saturday, September 22, 2007. UFC 76: Knockout. It was the third time in UFC history that a PRIDE FC fighter fought against a UFC fighter. But the first time the winner of the Ultimate Fighter tournament was matched against a former PRIDE tournament champion. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was already considered a legend in mma.
Duran is one of many cutmen from around the world. Their job is to protect the fighter. Minimize the damage during the fight to keep a fighter in the fight. Cutmen don’t get the credit they deserve from fans – managers and promoters alike. Fighters get the credit for winning the battle, and rightfully so – but they acknowledge the cutmen in their corner. The reason most fights with bad cuts are not stopped – a great cutman. They are allowing a battle to turn into a classic – giving their fighter – a shot at winning.
Duran is an Air Force veteran and former kickboxer. He grew up picking cotton and fruit in a San Joaquin Valley migrant camp with aspirations of playing professional baseball. His work ethic and passion have taken him to countries and fights in the biggest stadiums in the world and, ultimately, the bright lights of Las Vegas and the historical grounds of Madison Square Garden. Stitch has done it all. No wonder his first book is titled ‘From the Fields to the Garden.’ “Who would have thought that a kid growing up in a migrant camp would one day bring his talents to Las Vegas, and make it to Madison Square Garden – The Mecca of boxing,” said Duran. It wasn’t all glamour and glitz for Duran. Despite all of his accomplishments – success did not come easy.
In 1996, Stitch found out his company, RJ Reynolds was downsizing. He requested to transfer to Las Vegas a year before receiving the call for a vacant position. Stitch had to make a decision. Try to make ends meet with coaching and training fighters at his kickboxing school in Fairfield, California, or take a $25,000 pay cut and move. Within two weeks, he transferred his kickboxing school to a friend and moved his family from Fairfield, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada. He never looked back.
As the second round ends – Duran rushes into the Octagon to greet Griffin with a towel in hand. He realizes he must work quickly. The cut was deep. It began at the top of Griffin’s right eyebrow and stopped somewhere in the middle of his forehead. It looked like the creation of a jagged sword wielded by a drunken samurai. At this moment, Jacob “Stitch” Duran knew the fight could be in his hands.
There are many cutmen in prizefighting, but only one “Stitch.” Highly recognized as one of the best cutmen and outstanding personalities in the fight business. Duran has a way of keeping fighters cool – calm – confident while taping their hands before the fight. Similar to a Sports psychologist who helps athletes deal with distractions and improve focus. When Duran walks into a fighters dressing room – Vitor Belfort, former UFC Light heavyweight and Heavyweight champion calls this – the “calming effect.”
After 11 years of hard work and sacrifice in the fight game – Stitch’s favorite MMA moment started as most of his fight nights do. Double-check that his cutman supplies are in his medicine bag before taping the fighter’s hands. An endless amount of towels. The K.O swell to bring down swelling. Vaseline and Adrenalin Chloride 1/1000 mix (blood vessel constrictor) along with Avitene (coagulant) to close cuts. An ice pack, swabs, athletic tape, gauze, and a bucket. All of the essentials needed to protect the fighter’s hands and reduce damage to keep the fighter in a fight.
Duran rolls out four inches wide of two-inch gauze at a time until he counts to 16 and repeats it one more time. This is called padding. He continues to rip six half-inch tape strips and sticks them on the chair where the Griffin rests his forearm. He stretches Griffin’s hand and fingers – asking him if there are any current issues with the hand he’s wrapping. “I’ve broken my hands twice in my career but never when Stitch wrapped them,” said Griffin. Confident in his striking abilities – Griffin prefers to leave his thumbs unwrapped – unique for a fighter. Duran continues to speak with Griffin while he wraps his hand – he doesn’t want to wrap it too tight and cut off circulation. “Don’t worry about anything,” said Stitch. “I’m going to take care of you during the fight.” Rolls of gauze and one-inch athletic tape create a cast-like wrap. “How does it feel,” asked Stitch. It’s time to fight.
Before the horn sounds to end the round – Stitch gets his mix of Vaseline and Adrenalin 1/1000 ready. Vaseline is used on a fighter’s face and cuts to diminish the impact of an opponent’s punches. Adrenalin Chloride 1/1000 closes blood vessels on open cuts along with Avitene, a coagulant. These three things along with water and ice – are the only liquids and medicine most athletic state commissions allow in a fighter’s corner. In a professional fight, as in life – seconds count. Stitch knew he had to work on Griffin’s cut as soon as round two was over.
With only one minute to work with between rounds – Stitch goes to work on the cut immediately. He wipes Griffin’s bloody face with a clean towel to find the wound. The cut is deep and to the skull. Griffin’s corner fears that the ringside Doctor will stop the fight if Stitch doesn’t stop the bleeding. Stitch covers the cut with his Vaseline and Adrenalin Chloride 1/1000 mix. Griffin’s forehead looks like someone slapped it with a baseball bat and then tried to cover it with a bar of butter. The bleeding stops, and the bell to begin the third round goes off. The fight resumes.
Stitch wonders if he did enough. He remains calm in the corner – now a spectator – observing his work. Griffin’s cut is visible – no longer bleeding. With a minute left in the third round, Griffin pounds Rua’s face with elbows. A once impregnable defense – Rua’s head bounces off the canvas with every blow. The crowd’s cheers give Griffin the energy needed to keep punching as both fighters continue to fight fatigue. With 23 seconds in the fight, Griffin takes Rua’s back and slips in a rear naked choke. With 15 seconds left in the round, Rua taps out. The fight is over! Forrest Griffin has submitted the great Mauricio “Shogun” Rua!
After his win versus Rua, Griffin sent Stitch a thank you card and a gift card for a fancy dinner for him and his wife. “It was unexpected but a great gesture,” said Stitch. Griffin’s win versus Rua – propelled him to a title fight. In the 2008 fight of the year, Griffin beat Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. “If I get distracted because of the blood from my cut while fighting Shogun Rua – I don’t get the title fight,” said Griffin. “Stitch did a great job – kept me in the fight – he’s always been great to me – he’s one of my favorites.”
With so much success in the fight game all of these years – Stitch remains motivated. “I’m driven by accomplishments, reaching goals, maximizing my potential,” said Stitch. “Challenging myself in moments when I’m scared motivates me.” An author of two books, and an entrepreneur with his line of cutman supplies and creator of the K.O swell, he believes this is still only the beginning for him. “Giving a fighter one more round – using my skills to keep the fighter in a fight – a legacy of leaving the game of combat sports safer,” said Stitch. “That’s what keeps me going.”
The fight between Griffin and Rua proved to both Duran and Griffin that they belonged. It showed the world that Stitch – would always give a fighter one more round.
One round – like one second in someone’s life – can make all the difference.
Luis Renteria 