Francisco Derek Campos (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

currently competing in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

division. A professional competitor since 2009, Campos has competed for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

Shark Fights Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having UFC veterans Jorge Masvidal, Keith Jardin ...

and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

, and is the former King of the Cage Light Welterweight Champion.

Background

Originally from

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

, Campos competed in

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

and first began training in

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

at the age of 19.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After a 2–0 amateur career, Campos started his professional career in 2009, fighting exclusively for Texas and Louisiana-based promotions. In 2012, with a record of 9–2, Campos signed with Bellator.

Bellator MMA

Campos made his promotional debut against

Rich Clementi Richard Thomas Clementi (born March 31, 1977) is a former American mixed martial artist. Clementi has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championships, Bellator, K-1 Hero's DREAM, King of the Cage, and Titan FC. Background Clementi was born in Ed ...

on May 25, 2012 at

Bellator 70 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

. He lost via submission due to a guillotine choke in the first round. Campos faced

Brandon Girtz Brandon Girtz (born March 6, 1985) is an People of the United States, American Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2008, Girtz has fought in Bellator MMA, Bellator and King of the Cage. Background Girtz was ...

on June 19, 2013 at

Bellator 96 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight cha ...

. He won via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Campos faced Martin Stapleton on November 8, 2013 at

Bellator 107 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

. Once again he won via unanimous decision. Campos was expected to rematch

in the quarterfinal match of Bellator Season Ten Lightweight Tournament on March 21, 2014 at

Bellator 113 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

. However, his opponent was changed and he faced Tim Welch. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Campos faced

Patricky Freire Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division, where he is a former Bellator Lightweight World Champi ...

in the semifinals at

Bellator 117 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

and lost the bout via TKO in the second round. Campos faced Estevan Payan on September 26, 2014 at

Bellator 126 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

. He won the fight via knockout just 31 seconds into the first round. Stepping in for a recently retired

John Gunderson John Edward Gunderson (born May 1, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist. He used to fight with the UFC and SCC also numerous other organizations being a champion or fighting for the championship in many of them. Once he was a top 1 ...

, Campos was expected to face

Alexander Sarnavskiy Alexander Sarnavskiy (russian: Александр Сарнавский, born January 17, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Sarnavskiy has mostly competed i ...

Bellator 128 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

on October 10, 2014. However, an injury forced Campos out of the bout.

Dakota Cochrane Dakota Galen Cochrane (born May 1, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who fights in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions. He has competed for Bellator MMA, Resurrection Fighting Alliance, Legacy Fighting Championship, Titan Fightin ...

stepped in as a replacement. Campos faced former Bellator Lightweight Champion

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained n ...

on June 19, 2015 at

Bellator 138 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Campos finally rematched

Bellator 146 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company ...

on November 20, 2015. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Campos next faced

Melvin Guillard Melvin Paul Guillard, Jr. (born March 30, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. Guillard most notably competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA a ...

on February 19, 2016 at

Bellator 149 2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016. Background 2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion Bellator Kickboxi ...

. He won the fight via a flurry of punches in the second round, resulting in a TKO victory. Campos faced up-and-coming Djamil Chan at Bellator 161 on September 16, 2016. In the first round, Campos was almost finished by a series of punches after absorbing a punch on the feet. However, he survived the onslaught and went on to win the fight via unanimous decision. Campos faced Derek Anderson at Bellator 170 on January 21, 2017. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Campos was expected to face

at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. The pair previously met at

on April 18, 2014 in the quarter final round of the Bellator season ten lightweight tournament, in which Campos was defeated via second-round TKO. The rematch was originally scheduled to take place at Bellator 167 on December 3, 2016, however an injury forced Freire out of the bout. During the Bellator 180 fight card, it was revealed by the promotion that Campos would instead face

in a third fight at the event. Campos won the rubber match by TKO via doctor stoppage at the end of the second round due to cut on Girtz's forehead caused by a Campos knee. Campos faced Patricky Freire in a rematch at Bellator 194 on February 16, 2018. He lost the fight via TKO in round one. In his next fight, Campos moved down to Featherweight and faced

Sam Sicilia Samuel Travis Sicilia (born February 1, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division for Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, Sicilia formerly competed for the UFC, a ...

at Bellator 212 on December 14, 2018. He lost the back-and-forth fight by split decision. Campos next faced Pedro Carvalho at Bellator: Birmingham on May 4, 2019. He lost the bout by way of first round knockout.

Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix

In the opening round of the Featherweight Grand Prix, Campos faced former two-time Bellator Featherweight world champion Daniel Straus at Bellator 226 on September 7, 2019. Campos went on to defeat Straus in a dominant unanimous decision win, with the judges scores reading 30–26, 30–25, 30–25. In the quarterfinals, Campos faced A.J. McKee at Bellator 236 on December 21, 2019. He lost the bout via third round submission.

Post grand-prix

Campos was expected to face

Roger Huerta Roger Huerta (born May 20, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator Fighting Cha ...

at Bellator 246 on September 12, 2020. However, he ultimately faced Keoni Diggs at the event. At the weigh-ins, Diggs weighed in at 157 pounds, 1 pound over the non-title lightweight limit of 156 pounds. The bout proceeded at a catchweight with a percentage of Diggs' purse going to Campos. He lost the bout via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round. On October 27, 2020, it was announced that Campos had been released from Bellator.

Post-Bellator career

After almost a decade in Bellator, Campos was scheduled to face

Kyle Bochniak Kyle Bochniak (born February 5, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2014, he has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Professional Fighters Leagu ...

at XMMA² on July 30, 2021. However, Campos withdrew from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by

Marcus Brimage Marcus Clyde Brimage (born April 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, he has formerly competed for the UFC and was a competitor on The Ultimate Figh ...

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** KOTC Light Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 20–11 , Keoni Diggs , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 246 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:59 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 , Djamil Chan , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 161 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park is a city and a major suburb of Austin in the state of Texas, approximately to the north-west of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city's population was 77,595. History Before the arrival of European settl ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Estevan Payan , KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:31 ,

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Derrick Krantz Derrick Krantz (born January 13, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2008, he has also compete ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ascend Combat: Mayhem 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:15 ,

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Joe Condon , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Stranglehold , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:56 ,

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Scott Cleve Scott Cleve (born July 22, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Featherweight division and the MFC. Background Cleve was born in Long Beach, California and raised in Escondido, California, attending Escondido H ...

, Decision (split) , Ultimate Warrior Fighting 1: Huerta vs. War Machine , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Cody Pfister Cody Carson Pfister (born August 7, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Shark Fights, King of the Cage, and the Resurrec ...

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Diego Brandão Diego Pereira Brandão (born 27 May 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2005, he formerly competed for the UFC, RIZIN, and Fight Nights Global. He was the winner of ...

, Decision (split) , King of Kombat 8: The Uprising , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Yosdenis Cedeno Yosdenis Cedeno (born February 12, 1985) is a Cuban-American mixed martial artist who formerly fought in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career A professional since 2009, Cedeno beg ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Adam Schindler , Decision (unanimous) , King of Kombat 6: Fists of Fury , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Clay Shackleford , KO (punch) , Global Fighting Alliance: Mardi Gras Mayhem , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Brandon Crick , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xtreme Knockout 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:35 ,

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campos, Derek 1988 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Texas Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Sportspeople from Lubbock, Texas

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Bellator MMA

Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix

Post grand-prix

Post-Bellator career

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References