Photos: Stitch Interview at UFC 105 and a little Hand Wrapping

On the morning of UFC 105 I interviewed Stitch for almost two hours. The book is looking great and getting better with each chapter. Here's a photo of us interviewing and the man taking a photo of us is ESPN's Martin McNeil. He has taken some of the most memorable shots in recent MMA history.


The second photo shows Stitch wrapping a fan's hand not long after we interviewed.

Stitch on Sports Jobs with Junior Seau

Stitch told me a little about the filming of Sports Jobs. He said Seau was very cool and it was a fun deal. The filming took place at UFC 101 in Philadelphia and Stitch’s episode will air on January 13, 2010.

Here’s a clip from the show:



MMA Junkie has more info.

Stitch Bigger than Life and being a Good Samaritan

Stitch looked across the street from the Staples Center at UFC 104 and saw this:



You can see his shirt a little more clearly here on this blog or at www.tapout.com.

He also had a pretty interesting time immediately after the event. Check out this story from Bloody Elbow. As a friend of mine who photographs for ESPN said, "I think it highlights his nature and character very well."

Follow Stitch on Twitter

After working WEC 43 last weekend in San Antonio, Stitch had a couple days before flying to Nottingham, England where he's working the boxing matches this weekend. You know the ones that have been advertised on pretty much every combat sports site on the net. If you are really interested, you might be able to get a few updates of his weekend. Stitch is now on Twitter so check him out: http://twitter.com/StitchDuran.

Stitch on Nate Diaz and Junior dos Santos

At Ultimate Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City Stitch wrapped Nate Diaz’s hands. Diaz was glad to see Stitch and said, “I lost my last two because you weren’t there.” Diaz went on to submit Melvin Guillard and win sub of the night for his efforts, but he did get a pretty nice cut along the way. Stitch of course did his thing and ensured the cut was not a factor. The OKC doctors were hoping to get to see him in action and one of them said after he worked on Diaz, “Stitch, you’re a magician.”

Three days later Stitch was Octagon-side when Don House came out and said Junior dos Santos wanted Stitch to wrap his hands. House covered Stitch’s post and Stitch hustled back stage to wrap dos Santos’ hands. He asked if he wanted the tapout or the knock out wrap and dos Santos chose the knock out. Guess it was a good choice and now Stitch has another guy that wants him to be the only one to wrap his hands.

Stories like these, except in much greater detail, will be found in the upcoming Stitch biography. Stitch has such a unique relationship with the fighters, stories of drinking Vodka with Fedor Emelianenko to helping out Rich Franklin, to shadow boxing with Wladimir Klitschko in a Japanese restaurant in Germany, and so many more will be available soon.

In the meantime, keep checking back here to find out what Stitch is up to.

Special Edition Stitch Cornerman Jackets Available

I get a lot of requests from people to be put in contact with Stitch and you wouldn’t believe how many ask about how to get Stitch’s vest. TapouT President Marc Kreiner must’ve been receiving the same requests because he had the idea to have Stitch sign 50 limited edition Vests. On the way to work the Andre Ward fight at the Pechanga Casino, Stitch swung into the TapouT offices and obliged Mr. Kreiner. Now you can get your very own signed Stitch vest and there will only be 49 others!

Wear it if you want, or put it in a safe place, or buy two and wear one and save the other. Because years down the road, after his Stitch Duran book comes out (shameless plug) and when he retires as an icon in the sport, his vest will be worth a pretty good chunk of change.

Stitch Vest at Tapout.com

Perspective of a 59-year-old MMA Fan: Hotel Lobby before UFN 19

I decided to post part two over here at Cutman Stitch Duran because my pops speaks so highly of him. After reading the below you will see one of the reasons why Stitch is so successful at what he does and why I think I chose a great person to work with.

This is part two of what looks to be a three-part series. You can check out part one by visiting Sports by the Numbers MMA.

Perspective of a 59-year-old MMA Fan: Hotel Lobby before UFN 19

I made a feeble attempt at verbalizing my experience at the UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City. How I got there was a real team effort. As owner of a small substance abuse counseling agency, I had promised two of my employees a perk for their outstanding efforts. Melana is my Executive Administrator, keeps all things organized, and at 22 years old, is a big UFC fan. She is also an excellent mother to three-year-old Mia. Stephanie is 25, an outstanding counselor, and the mother of two girls age two and six. Both are real team players.

When given the choice of their reward, I wasn't surprised when they told me they wanted to go to UFC Fight Night in OKC. I got tickets and called Zac (my son who’s currently writing Stitch’s biography) for any tips to make this a fun event for my employees. After giving me the basic info, he said, "I'll try to hook you up with Stitch. My thought, "yah, right." I was pretty sure he would be too busy to hang out with three wide-eyed Okies at their first UFC event.

I followed Zac's instructions anyway, and making contact with Stitch at the Hotel, we find ourselves sitting in a lounge area visiting with one of the most gracious and genuine people I have ever met. I know he has limited time and many demands. But you couldn't tell it by his warmth. He visited with us as if we were old friends. I didn't mention that both my team members are not only talented in their jobs but attractive too. My only disappointment was that they told Stitch (and the crowd that had gathered) that they worked for me. I was enjoying people maybe thinking, Wow, that old man is doing pretty good for himself. So my cover was blown.

Zac said that if we were around Stitch we would meet a lot of people. Tru dat! (Sorry, I shouldn’t try to think young). He was right. We met some awesome UFC fighters, media people, trainers, and the "Gatekeeper", Greg Darling. After about 20 minutes of being in awe of where we were, who we were with, and who we had met, we excused ourselves understanding that "Stitch" had a days work ahead of him and the 20 to 25 minutes we had spent with him had already provided us with a mesmerizing experience. Is this real? I watched my two team members working hard to contain their excitement and act professional. None of us could actually believe we were where we were and Stitch made us feel important. After excusing ourselves to let Stitch continue his "pre-fight ritual", the "Gatekeeper" said, "Hey, you want to come down to the Octagon after the fight?" Again, I thought, "yah, right."

We expressed our appreciation and as gracefully as possible exited the hotel lobby. None of us spoke until exiting the elevator. After 25 minutes of maintaining our composure, and alone in the corridor to the parking garage, the emotions exploded. Stephanie said, "Oh my God. I can't believe what just happened." Melana responded with all the class and professionalism of my Executive Administrator, saying, "I think I pee'd myself." All I could say was "That was awesome." Had I said anything more, I would have sounded like a giddy 16-year-old girl. We could have gone home right then and got our money's worth.

My last accounting of this great day will sum up the actual event. Did we make it to the Octagon? That would be way too much to ask. And Stephanie and I were relieved that after further investigation, Melana hadn't actually "pee'd herself".

Bill Robinson