Jacob “Stitch” Duran usually is working behind the scenes during fights nights. He is known to work in MMA and boxing events. However, things changed when Duran appeared in WSOF 22. He admitted that this time, he felt like a superstar.
Stitch Duran has been working with the UFC as a cutman since UFC 33 back in 2001. After years of service, Stitch Duran was recently fired by the UFC because of his statements regarding the new Reebok deal. He said some negative things about the new sponsorship deal in an interview because he believed it was just not right to include them in the new policy but they will not get compensated accordingly. Fighters and cutmen reportedly get a lot more money due their respective sponsorships. But with the Reebok deal taking into effect, MMA cutmen like Stitch Duran will lose a lot of money because they will not be allowed to wear the apparel of their previous sponsors anymore. Stitch Duran admitted that he was shocked when he learned that he was fired because of what he said. He even said that he hoped Dana White would have spoken to him directly about the issue.
Dana White responded back to this statement saying he does not have any plans on getting Duran back on the promotion company, and that they “were never friends”. “Another thing about ‘Stitch’ Duran saying I should have called him: I’ve never dealt with the cutmen ever. We have a department for that. We weren’t friends. We’re not friends and no, he shouldn’t have been expecting a call from me. And if he’s my friend, why didn’t he reach out to me? If we were such good friends and all that? So that’s that,” he added.
However, the well-known cutman did not have to wait long and look too far to have another gig. Just recently, Stitch Duran was back working behind the curtains for a televised NBCSN event.
In a post-event interview, Stitch Duran admitted that he was a bit overwhelmed by the reaction from all of the fans who watched the event. Those who watched the fight at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and even those who watched at home, reached out to Duran through his social media accounts.
“The support of the people here was tremendous. Walking out, I felt like a superstar. That’s the way they’ve been treating me,” he said.
Duran revealed that it is going pretty well for him even though he is not with the UFC anymore. As of the moment, his schedule is already full until December. He was able to get gigs as a mixed martial arts cutman as well as other projects like film. However, with the warm welcome he got from WSOF, Duran said that he is hoping to make WSOF a priority in the future.
Duran continued to express his enthusiasm with WSOF further by admitting, “I’m definitely going to support them every chance I get. There are a lot of things coming on the table right now, and I need to sit down and weigh them out. I’m getting offers from like everybody. I’m going to sit down, but every chance I get to support the World Series of Fighting, I’ll be here.”