Jacbon “Stitch” Duran has been a cutman for thousands of fighters throughout his long career and he was supposed to work with Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 172.
However, the fight between Fedor and Matt Mitrione was canceled hours before the show was about to begin. While Stitch didn’t get to work with the legend that night, the cutman did get to work with his protege.
“I talked to Fedor when he came into the arena,” Duran said to MMA Junkie. “He comes in, he taps me in the bottom of my leg, and I look, and it’s Fedor. (He) gives me another hug. Because I have a nice relationship with him. And I was telling him how Anatoly Tokov (whom Emelianenko cornered on the same card), one of his proteges, I wrapped his hands and he really liked it. And I gave his coach my business card, about doing a seminar in Russia. First thing that Fedor says is, ‘When?’ And I said, ‘He has my card.’ And he goes, ‘No, I have your card also.'”
Stitch is expected to be cage side this Friday Night at Bellator 174, with Marloes Coenen and Julia Budd in the main event spot. Duran was notified a week ahead of time that he was supposed to work with Fedor and he even got to chat with the heavyweight star at the weigh-ins.
“I had gotten a call the Saturday before from Jerry Millen, who is the adviser for Fedor, and he asked if I was going to be in San Jose, and I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ And he says, ‘Hold on, somebody wants to talk to you. And it was Fedor. And he says, ‘He, how are you doing?’ And he does speak English, believe or not. Maybe just to me, but nobody else. When I saw him at the weigh-ins, he’s at his own private little green area, and Jerry takes me in there, and he sees me, gets up and gives me a big hug and says, ‘Hey brother, I need your help tomorrow.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, of course.’ I was looking forward just to work his corner, just to wrap his hands and just to be part of his legacy. Because (there’s) no telling how many fights he has left. This one with Matt would have been a tough, tough fight," says Stitch.
Jacob Duran also authored his own autobiography called “From The Fields To The Garden: The Life Of Stitch Duran.”
