Regardless of your thoughts on the health of our economy and who is at fault, the truth is it affects countless areas and MMA is not excluded. And to be more specific, I am directly affected.
As we have already stated, my role as a cutman is not a required role in the industry. It does not typically take more than simply a promoter seeing me at work for one show to expose the value, but that exposure opportunity is a challenge.
Promoters often feel “we haven’t used one before and we are doing just fine”. Fact is they don’t know what is missing and they wouldn’t know the difference since they are counting tickets sold and watching the action in the cage.
Only in the rare instance where a fight is stopped early and they are aware enough to question whether that could have been prevented does the idea of my role come up.
Another challenge is the uneducated viewpoint that just anyone with a towel and a Q-tip can fill the role of a true cutman. The differences between them and a trained cutman however are truly significant.
In those cases my challenge is to hope a promotion will be willing to seek the best and not simply side with loyalty and familiarity. They don’t do that with their fighters, so it’s unfortunate they aren’t just as open to finding the best when it comes to a cutman.
True qualifications, listed minimum criteria, and job quality analysis will truly let the best in the industry be where they are needed most. But referees, judges and cutmen can all relate that those objective standards aren’t likely to become reality anytime soon.
“Between Rounds” is a weekly column written by MMA cutman David Maldonado where he shares with readers his experiences and the intricate details and processes involved in his specialized field of training. Readers are encouraged to respond, interact and ask questions about the life and work of the MMA cutman. “Between Rounds” is part of ProMMAnow.com‘s ongoing series of exclusive content written by individuals involved in the mixed martial arts industry.
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