"I kind of pulled it, and then I taped it" - Veteran cutman Jacob 'Stitch' Duran revisits Jon Jones' broken toe, Nate Diaz's doctor's stoppage against Jorge Masvidal, and other UFC injuries
Cutman Jacob 'Stitch' Duran is a well-known figure in combat sports, having worked in boxing and the UFC. From working with the likes of the Klitschko brothers and Tyson Fury to making appearances in the Rocky series, Duran has done it all in his illustrious career.
'Stitch' also worked with UFC legends like Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones, and Cain Velasquez before being released from the promotion in 2015 over comments he made about the UFC's Reebok sponsorship deal.
Speaking to GQ, Duran recently revisited his experiences in some of the most epic fights of all time. The former UFC cutman was on duty during Jon Jones' UFC 159 title clash against Chael Sonnen. Tasked with repairing Jones' broken toe, Duran seemingly just taped it back together. The 70-year-old veteran said:
"The bone's kind of sticking out of his toe and the doctor says, 'What are you gonna do, Stitch?' You know, so I took it upon myself, I kind of pulled it and then I taped it. I don't think Jon Jones even knew that his toe was broken."
Duran also recalled his experience working with Brock Lesnar during the latter's title loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. According to the veteran cutman, a cut that opened up on Lesnar's face went all the way to the bone.
Duran remarked that despite its severity, the cut was unlikely to stop the fight as it did not put the fighter at a disadvantage, being right next to the nose. 'Stitch' said:
"He fought Cain Velasquez, ended up with a big ol' nasty cut. And I go in and I put this swab in his cut and it goes all the way to the bone. And he looks at me and says, 'Stitch, take care of me". And I said, 'Yes, you know I will". In a cut like Brocks, it looks bad, but when it comes to the eyes of stopping a fight, they probably won't stop the fight, because it's not giving a fighter a disadvantage."
Watch Jacob Duran's interview with GQ below:
Jacob 'Stitch' Duran weighs in on Nate Diaz's doctor's stoppage loss against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244
Nate Diaz was not allowed to continue post the third round of his BMF title fight against Jorge Masvidal at Madison Square Garden. The Stockton native was handed a TKO loss via doctor's stoppage owing to a nasty cut that opened above his right eye.
While he agreed that fighters' safety should be a priority, Jacob Duran questioned the stoppage of Diaz's fight against Masvidal. According to the veteran cutman, Diaz's cut did not put him in a disadvantageous position. 'Stitch' also dismissed a popular notion surrounding the Diaz brothers: they are more prone to being split open due to scar tissues. The 70-year-old said:
"I didn't work that one, but the question was should the doctor have stopped the fight. And as you look at it, the cuts are big, alright, but we've seen them before, but there's not a disadvantage there... People say, 'Well you've got scar tissue, cuts gonna open a lot easier'. In all fairness, I haven't seen that. To have a cut on that place has to be the exact same shot that you had when you cut that."
Duran also recollected his experience working with Tyson Fury during his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder. According to the cutman, Fury allowed him to put his own sponsors on his costume, provided they didn't involve drugs, alcohol, or gambling. Weighing in on Mike Tyson's infamous loss to Buster Douglas, 'Stitch' claimed that a better cutman could have given 'Iron' a better chance.