UFC split motivated Jacob 'Stitch' Duran to write second book

Famed combat sports cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran has many stories to tell. So much so that one book couldn’t do him justice – he needed two.

Duran has an extensive history in all walks of combat s ports. However, over the past decade one of his greatest claims to fame was his presence in the corner at most major UFC fights. Unfortunately, that journey came to an end in July 2015 when his services were no longer deemed necessary and he had an ugly split with the promotion.

Duran’s first book, “From the Fields to the Garden: The Life of Stitch Duran,” was released in 2010 and detailed his experiences in boxing and the early days of UFC. That’s only part of his story, though, because earlier this month Duran and author Zac Robinson released a sequel sharing many more stories from the life of the 65-year-old.

There was never a promise of a second book, but when Duran’s UFC tenure came to an end, he knew the moment to pull the trigger had arrived.

“The request by the fans who said, ‘How about a second book?’ Everywhere I go the Junkie fans always stop me,” Duran told MMAjunkie Radio. “I think the timing was right. I got released from the UFC. Once the dust settled and I knew I was getting a lot of love and support from the fans and I talked to Zac and asked if he was ready and he jumped on it in a heartbeat. Our goal was to bring it out by early December and we accomplished that mission.”

The sequel, “From the Fields to the Garden II,” was released this month and is available on Amazon as well as several other points of purchase. Putting a book together is a significant challenge, but Robinson said Duran’s colorful and diverse background made a difficult task far more manageable.

“I think we did about eight hours of interviews through Skype and the phone,” Robinson said. “‘Stitch’ is so great to work with. The first book we hit it off, we worked great together and this one as well. One day I was like, ‘Hey, I’m going to call you pretty early.’ He said, ‘It can be three in the morning, give me a call.’ There hasn’t been any issues working with ‘Stitch.'”

One of the selling points of Duran’s second book is that he’s “piled up about three lifetimes of experience” since the original was released. Although he was quite hands-on in bringing it all together, having someone else write the details of your life is not easily done.

Duran praised Robinson for expressing everything he wanted in the book, though, and said that while he wasn’t the one that specifically put pen to paper, “From the Fields to the Garden II” reads as if he had.

“People read the book and say, ‘It feels like ‘Stitch’ is talking to me,'” Duran said. “That’s just a good writer.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM Ch. 93, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.