Legendary cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran explained why he stopped the fight between Nate Diaz and Mike Perry at MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano.
Diaz was cut open by Perry in the co-main event of this past Saturday’s card. He was bleeding all over the canvas and had blood running into his eyes, rendering him essentially visionless. When the fight went into the corner at the end of the second round, “Sitch” decided to tell the referee that the fight was over, and Perry was awarded the victory via TKO due to corner stoppage.
Duran Explains Thinking Behind Corner Stoppage
Speaking to MMA Junkie Radio following the fight, Duran was asked why he decided to stop the fight.
“I (stopped the fight). I told Nate. He ended up with 15 staples and 20 stitches altogether. So, he was beat up. Mike Perry, he was too strong for him. I always look at it as a judge, and, at that point, he was getting his ass whooped. Mike was just too strong, too aggressive, and he was hurting him. Nate broke his finger, and he said, ‘Man, I can’t do nothing.’ The cuts were so big. This one here (points to his head) kept pulsating. It kept going, and then his nose kept bleeding, and that’s a sign of a broken nose,” Duran said (via Bloody Elbow).
“I told Nate, ‘I’m gonna have the doctor stop the fight, man. It’s too much blood, and you keep bleeding.’ The referee said, ‘Come on, let’s go.’ I said, ‘No, he’s not going out.’ Nate thanked me. I said, ‘Of course, man.’ I was there to take care of him. That was the proper move. And the thing about it, he said, he couldn’t see, and that’s always the number one. It wasn’t a hard decision to make.”
Duran’s famous mantra is “One More Round,” as he prides himself on stopping cuts and giving the fighters a chance to win. But in this fight, the cuts were just too deep, and there was too much blood running into the eyes, so ultimately, he decided to call off the fight, and it was the right one.
What’s Next For Nate Diaz?
Following the fight with Perry, there were talks of an immediate rematch between him and Diaz, and potentially in Sacramento, California, close to Diaz’s hometown of Stockton. Although Perry was certainly getting the better of Diaz in this fight, there wasn’t a true knockout, as it was a corner stoppage. So, MVP MMA is highly considering running this fight back for a second time.
Based on how this first fight went, there isn’t much of a reason to believe that a rematch will go any differently, especially given how much damage the 41-year-old Diaz took in the bout. But if MVP MMA thinks it’s a big fight, and if Diaz and Perry are committed to running it back, then it’s an easy rematch to sell. For this first fight, Perry was a small betting favorite over Diaz. After seeing him put the hurt on the UFC legend, look for Perry to be a much bigger favorite next time.
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