mean it looked terrible, and the fight had to be stopped for a closer look just to be cautious, but the fans see something like that and figure it's something more than it is. Because fighting is seen as a "savage sport" by the general public, of course they're going to stop the fight, but from the medical aspect, it wasn't going to affect his performance that much. If you remember, he was smiling and laughing at himself in the post fight interview so he was clearly fine.

I worked with Fernando Vargas when he fought Shane Mosely and the same thing happened. His left eye swelled up so much from a head butt; it was the size of an apple, but not nearly as big as Rahman's. Now, Fernando's was on the eye and it closed up so he couldn't see and that makes a difference because it gives the opponent an unfair advantage. I kept him around as long as I could, but come the tenth round he was getting hit because he had no vision and that's where we have a problem. If a hematoma occurs inside the tissue, blood builds up under the skin and starts to expand. That's where the swelling comes from. It's like blowing up a balloon, and the blood is creating all of that.

You heard the phrase in "Rocky Balboa" where he said: "Cut me Mick, cut me?" That's a question people ask me all the time. In that situation, you can cut the hematoma, but it's not the way we do it anymore. If you cut it open, the blood would ooze right out because it's just a giant accumulation of blood. That's what happened when they cut "Rocky."

FiveKnuckles.com: That scene in "Rocky" wasn't for the squeamish, but it painted a pretty good picture from what you're saying. I know cut men don't like to reveal their secrets so I won't ask for any more details.

The main job of a cut man is to nip potential injuries in the butt and prevent something worse from taking place, but if an injury is more severe, the correct attention is needed. From what I understand, certain fighters trust you more than they would any old doctor?

Stitch Duran: Well, I'm glad that fighters depend on me for dealing with injuries the way they do. I'm honored to attend to these guys after the effort they put forth. There was a situation with Rich Franklin where I was called on well after the event was over. Now, he could have called a doctor or went to the hospital, but instead his camp called on me. I jumped right out of bed and helped out any way I could.

Put yourself in my position. I'm right there in the trenches with these guys. I wrap their hands in the back so I'm with them as they get prepared and I'm the last guy they get to see before they enter the Octagon. Even though I'm not in their camps training with them, when it comes to the actual point of no return, I'm right there. Win, lose, or draw, I'm there to take care of the fighters and it's an honor, but to be depended on after the fight and knowing they can count on me to be there is quite fulfilling. I'll accept that duty every time.

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