Leon Tabbs, who was a cutman under the UFC auspices from UFC 1 until retiring in 2012 has passed away at the age of 86 years old. There is no word at this time as to what the cause of death was for the legendary cutman.
Bruce Tabbs is the son of Leon Tabbs and he issued a brief statement to MMA Fighting, stating that his father will forever serve as a hero.
“My dad is my hero, forever and a day,” Bruce said.
The longtime cutman didn’t just perform those duties in the UFC, but also operated as a cutman for a plethora of legendary boxing fights over the decades.
MMA luminaries such as Jacob “Stitch” Duran, “Big” John McCarthy and UFC President Dana White shared some thoughts via Twitter on the late Leon Tabbs.
RIP #legend pic.twitter.com/GMxj18HqSy
— Dana White (@danawhite) June 16, 2018
Sad to announce that my friend and “Godfather of Cutmen”, Leon Tabbs has passed away. The original cutman from UFC 1, Leon set the stage for all cutmen to follow. We shared many great moments together and those memories will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/mqakTjvNxL
— Jacob Stitch Duran (@StitchDuran) June 16, 2018
So sad to hear that Leon Tabbs has passed on. Leon was an original. He was a cutman at UFC 1 and even had a role in the original Rocky. He stayed with the UFC for 20 years! It was an honor to know and work with you Leon. God has another warrior angel guarding his throne tonight
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) June 16, 2018
Tabbs is survived by a son, two daughters, two son-in-laws, a daughter-in-law, as well as grandchildren and great grandchildren and nieces and nephews.
