Every job has its benefits. But one UFC employee in particular seems to be making the most of his enviable advantage of being on the inside of the world’s biggest MMA promotions. The UFC employee, cult figure and fan favorite in question is Brad Tate, a-k-a ‘The Cutman’.
With a UFC association stretching back 18 years, Tate has seen the UFC grow from humble beginnings into a monumental global brand. But it’s not just Tate’s longevity that has helped him develop a cult following in combat sports: it’s his personality.
While being widely respected for his medical expertise in the sport, Tate’s sense of humor behind the scenes has also endeared him to a number of UFC fighters over the years. His medical skill and professionalism have seen him gain quite the online following too, amassing over 250,000 followers on Instagram.
In a recent bragging post, typical of Tate’s sense of humor, the UFC ‘Cutman’ revealed just how deep his popularity goes.
The video post begins with Tate telling an unidentified woman that he works for the UFC, to which she hypothetically responds, “Do you know any fighters?”
The video proceeds to share a number of images of Tate posing with notable UFC stars. These included UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, lightweight #8 Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett, and welterweight #6 Ian Machado Garry. The caption across the trio of impressive images read, “Holy Freakin Airball”.
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Again, in Tate’s typically comic style, he captioned the video, “Yea I know a few, but more importantly they know me.”
Brad Tate reveals how the Gilbert Burns ‘feud’ began
UFC fans will be all too aware of the ongoing banter between Brad Tate and welterweight veteran Gilbert Burns. It is the subject of many of Tate’s Instagram posts, revealing a strong bond between Tate and the Brazilian fighter.
Speaking to MMA Junkie last year, Tate revealed where and how the friendly feud with Burns began.
“The thing with me and Gilbert is that I’m a mouth,” Tate revealed. “If you ever see the content with me and DC [Daniel Cormier], I just don’t know when to shut up. Exactly, I was talking trash to Gilbert, and of course, he took me down. So I think it started in Houston, Texas. I was like, ‘Dude, you’re not so tough.’ I grabbed him and picked him up. Then, it was on from there.”
But it’s not just Gilbert who has developed a fondness for Tate; his popularity seemingly extends to many members of the Brazilian MMA community.
“The whole Brazilian community has embraced me, from him to Charles [Oliveira] to so many of the other fighters. Again, I feel like what I do is that I have a serious job and I come in there for five minutes and make it unserious. Then, they can get back to doing what they doing. That just helps me and everything else. What you see is what you get.”
While Tate’s infamous takedown battle with Burns lives on, it remains to be seen whether Tate would ever take their comical conflict into the Octagon. But then, who would be left to treat all of the injuries?
