Dana White sets record straight on firing UFC cutman 'Stitch' Duran: 'We were never friends'

Many folks in the mixed martial arts (MMA) community cried foul when they heard that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fired renowned cutman Jacob "Stitch" Duran last week.

The controversial dismissal came just one day after Duran spoke out against the oft-criticized promotion's partnership with apparel giant Reebok. He asserted that since Reebok became the official clothing provider of UFC that he began seeing less income because of sponsors who had been forced to drop him.

Check out his message to UFC President Dana White here.

Indeed, White did catch a lot of flack for the decision, promptly taking his frustrations out on Twitter "morons." However, in the days following, Duran back-tracked a bit, calling his words "a knee-jerk response."

White fired back last night after UFC on FOX 16 concluded inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

"Stitch Duran needs to realize what the meaning of the word friend is. Stitch Duran and I were never friends. We were work associates," White told FOX Sports. "We came up together in the boxing world. When we hired cutmen, he was one of the guys I brought in here.... Friends are people you call on the phone and talk to all the time. Stitch Duran was never my friend. And Stitch Duran saying I should've called him. I've never dealt with the cutmen ever."

Check out the entire video interview below.

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