Sixty seconds. A fighter drops onto the stool with blood pouring from a split eyebrow, and a man in latex gloves goes to work with a cotton swab and a piece of chilled metal.
The cutman is the most visible person on a UFC broadcast that nobody can name. He is also, very often, the only reason the fight is still happening.
What Does a UFC Cutman Do?
A UFC cutman prevents and treats cuts, swelling, and nosebleeds between rounds. In roughly sixty seconds, they apply direct pressure and a topical coagulant to stop the bleeding, press a chilled metal enswell into swelling to shut down the blood vessels underneath, and coat the face in petroleum jelly (Vaseline) so the skin doesn’t tear. The job is to stop the ringside doctor from stopping the fight.
That last sentence is the whole role. A cut the cutman cannot control becomes a doctor stoppage, and a doctor stoppage becomes a TKO loss. The cutman is the last thing standing between a laceration and a defeat.
What Equipment Does a UFC Cutman Use?
A UFC cutman uses an enswell, adrenaline chloride at 1:1000, cotton swabs, petroleum jelly, ice, gauze and towels. Three coagulants are authorised by US commissions — adrenaline chloride, Avitene and thrombin — but adrenaline does almost all the work.
- The enswell — also called the end-swell or eye iron. A small, flat piece of metal with a handle, kept buried in ice. Pressed into swelling with firm, cold pressure to constrict the vessels underneath. Flat ones for the cheek and temple, rounded ones for the contours around the eye socket. A thin smear of Vaseline stops the freezing metal from sticking to the skin.
- Adrenaline chloride (epinephrine), 1:1000 — the workhorse. A topical solution that constricts blood vessels and helps a clot form, applied on a swab with direct pressure.
- Cotton swabs — lint-free, because stray fibres left in an open wound cause problems when it comes to be stitched.
- Petroleum jelly — a preventive tool, not a treatment. It makes skin more elastic and slippery, so it splits less easily.
- Ice, gauze, towels and latex gloves.
Three coagulants are authorised for use by US commissions: adrenaline chloride, Avitene and thrombin. In practice, adrenaline does almost all the work — long-time UFC cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran has said it is what he reaches for virtually every time.
Where Can a UFC Cutman Apply Vaseline?
A UFC cutman may apply petroleum jelly to the face only, and only an approved cutman or licensed cornerman may apply it. Vaseline anywhere else on the body is “greasing” — and it is the reason a referee runs his hands over a fighter before they step into the Octagon.
The Unified Rules are specific: reapplication of petroleum jelly to the face may be allowed between rounds, and only an approved cutman or a licensed cornerman may apply it. The fighter cannot do it themselves — their hands are in gloves.
In practice, the permitted zone is even tighter than “the face”. It is the eyebrows and cheeks. Anything outside that is a problem.
The reason is simple. Vaseline on the body makes a fighter slippery. It makes takedowns harder to hold, submissions harder to finish, and clinches harder to control. That is a real, illegal advantage, and it is exactly why officials check for it.
| What a cutman does | Permitted? |
|---|---|
| Petroleum jelly on the eyebrows and cheeks | Yes — the only permitted area |
| Petroleum jelly on the back, chest or shoulders | No. This is “greasing” |
| The fighter applying it themselves | No. Approved cutman or licensed cornerman only |
| Adrenaline chloride 1:1000, applied topically | Yes — the standard coagulant |
| Avitene and thrombin | Yes — also authorised, but rarely used |
| Entering the cage mid-round | Only after a foul-caused cut, and only on that cut |
| Eyelid incision — the “Rocky” cut | No. Banned by essentially every commission |
| Stopping the fight | No. Only the referee and the ringside doctor can |
The cutman’s authority is narrower than it looks. Almost everything they do is bounded by a specific rule.
What Was GreaseGate In the UFC?
GreaseGate was the controversy at UFC 94 in January 2009, when BJ Penn’s camp alleged that Georges St-Pierre’s corner had applied Vaseline to his back and shoulders between rounds. It permanently tightened the rules around Vaseline, and it is the direct reason referees now check fighters for grease before a fight starts.
Georges St-Pierre against BJ Penn, UFC 94, January 2009.
Penn’s camp alleged that St-Pierre’s corner had applied Vaseline to his back and shoulders between rounds. The accusation dominated the aftermath of the fight and has never fully gone away.
What is not in dispute is the consequence. The controversy tightened the rules around Vaseline permanently, and it is the direct reason a referee now runs his hands over a fighter’s back, chest and shoulders before the fight starts, checking for grease outside the permitted area.
Stitch Duran has said plainly that the modern grease-check protocol traces straight back to that night.
Can a UFC Cutman Enter the Cage During a Round?
Yes — but only after a foul. If a fighter is cut by a foul, the referee can call the cutman into the cage during the five-minute recovery break, and the cutman may only work on the cut the foul caused.
The Unified Rules contain a specific provision for this. After an accidental or intentional foul that opens a laceration, the referee can call time, send both fighters to neutral corners, and invite the assigned cutman into the cage to treat the cut during the five-minute break.
The restriction is precise, and it matters: the cutman may work only on the cut or cuts caused by the foul. They cannot use the opportunity to quietly deal with unrelated damage from earlier in the round. The ringside physician then has to clear the fighter to continue, all inside those five minutes.
Why Don’t Cutmen Rub the Swelling Away From the Eye?
Cutmen don’t rub the swelling away from the eye because it makes it worse. Rubbing a hematoma ruptures the small blood vessels under the skin, which increases the bleeding and enlarges the swelling. Cold, firm, direct pressure is the correct technique.
Cold, firm, direct pressure is the correct technique, and there is no shortcut. Stitch Duran has been emphatic about this for years.
Do Cutmen Still Cut the Eyelid, Like In Rocky?
No. Cutmen do not cut the eyelid. Eyelid incision is banned by essentially every commission and sanctioning body — there is no razor blade in a modern corner.
Do UFC Fighters Hire Their Own Cutman?
No. UFC fighters do not hire their own cutman — the promotion provides them, and commissions require them to be licensed. In boxing, it’s different, where fighters routinely bring their own and pay them a percentage of the purse.
Does Vaseline Go Into the Cut?
Vaseline goes around a cut, mostly, rather than into it. It is a barrier and a preventive, and it is generally kept out of a deep wound because it can complicate stitching afterwards.
Can a UFC Cutman Stop a Fight?
No. A UFC cutman cannot stop a fight — only the referee and the ringside doctor can. But a cutman who cannot get a cut under control is usually the reason the doctor ends up doing it.
Who Is the Most Famous UFC Cutman?
Jacob “Stitch” Duran is the most famous UFC cutman, having worked the corners of the promotion’s biggest fights for years before moving to Bellator in 2016. Before him, there was Leon Tabbs — the only cutman working UFC 1.
FAQs
What is the metal thing a cutman presses on a fighter’s face?
An enswell — a small chilled metal plate used to reduce swelling with cold, direct pressure.
What do cutmen use to stop bleeding?
Adrenaline chloride at a 1:1000 dilution, applied topically on a cotton swab with pressure.
Why do UFC fighters have Vaseline on their face?
To make the skin more elastic and slippery so it is less likely to split when it is struck.
Is Vaseline on the body illegal in the UFC?
Yes. It is called greasing, and referees check for it before the fight begins.
How long does a cutman have to work?
A cutman has about sixty seconds to work — the length of the break between rounds. The exception is a foul-caused cut, where the cutman can be called into the cage during the five-minute recovery break.
To Conclude
A cutman has a minute, a swab, a piece of cold metal and a tub of Vaseline, and in that minute he decides whether a fight carries on. It is the most underrated job in the sport.
The rules around it are tighter than most fans realise: jelly on the face only, applied only by an approved cutman, checked by the referee before a fighter is allowed to step in — a protocol that exists because of one bad night in 2009.
For more, read our guides to what a doctor stoppage is, why referees pat down UFC fighters, how much UFC cutmen make, and TKO vs KO in the UFC. You can also read up on the most common injuries in the UFC.
