Kevin Michael Croom (born July 15, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2009, he has fought in the UFC,

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

, Titan FC, the

RFA RFA may refer to: Government and private organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Ren ...

, the LFA, and

CES MMA CES MMA (Classic Entertainment & Sports) is a mixed martial arts promotional firm based out of Providence, Rhode Island founded by boxing promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr. It promoted the first sanctioned professional mixed martial event in the stat ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Croom has fought for multiple MMA promotions during his professional MMA career, including Legacy Fighting Alliance and

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 ...

. Croom has 16 stoppages in his total of 21 professional victories. Croom faced Brian Davidson at

Bellator 26 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and m ...

on August 26, 2010. Davidson lost via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. In his seventh fight, Croom faced Justin Gaethje in his professional debut on August 20, 2011. Gaethje won the fight in the first round via KO due to a slam after Croom attempted a submission. Croom faced

Bryan Goldsby Bryan Goldsby (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who formerly fought for Bellator Fighting Championships. He currently fights in various promotions across the world and is the current NAAFS Bantamwe ...

Titan FC 27 ''Titan FC 27: Ricci vs. Gurgel'' was a mixed martial arts event, held on February 28, 2014 at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. Official fight card See also *Titan Fighting Championships *List of Titan FC events *Titan FC ...

on February 28, 2014. He won by unanimous decision. Croom fought for the CES MMA Featherweight Championship against reigning champion Matt Bessette at CES MMA 41, losing via TKO. Croom defeated Darrick Minner via TKO in the second round at LFA 48. Croom faced John Teixeira at Bellator 218 on March 22, 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Croom tapped out Charles Bennett via rear-naked choke in round one at FAC 1 to pick up submission victory number 10 as a professional. At Bellator 239, Croom took on Adil Benijilany and defeated him via split decision. In the fight before getting a UFC contract, Croom faced Anderson Hutchinson, who was later in September arrested for having sex with a 17-year-old female boxing student, on August 14, 2020, at Fighting Alliance Championship 3 for the FAC Featherweight Championship. Croom won the championship fight via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Croom, replacing Giga Chikadze as a COVID replacement, was scheduled to face Alex Caceres on August 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić The following day, Croom was removed after also testing positive for COVID and replaced by fellow newcomer Austin Springer. Croom made his UFC debut, as an injury fill in for Matt Frevola, against Roosevelt Roberts on September 12, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill. Croom won the fight via a guillotine choke in round one. This fight earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. After the fight, Croom said on Twitter that he had only $64 in his bank account before the fight. On November 4, it was announced by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) that the fight with Roosevelt Roberts would be overturned to a no contest, after Croom tested positive for marijuana. Croom was suspended for 4 1⁄2 months and had to pay a fine of $1,800. Croom faced Alex Caceres on February 27, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Croom was scheduled to face Marcelo Rojo on August 28, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 30. However, Croom was removed from the bout in mid-August for undisclosed reasons. Croom faced Brian Kelleher, replacing Saidyokub Kakhramonov, on January 15, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 32. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Croom faced Alateng Heili at UFC on ESPN 34 on April 16, 2022. He lost the fight via TKO early into the first round. In May 2022, it was reported that Croom was released from UFC.

Post UFC

In his first bout after his UFC release, Croom faced Brad Robinson on September 10, 2022 at Synergy FC: Kansas City Fight Night. He won the bout via majority decision.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship ** Performance of the Night (One time) *Fighting Alliance Championship ** FAC Featherweight Championship (One Time) *Shamrock Fighting Championships ** SFC Bantamweight Championship (One Time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 22–15 (1) , Brad Robison , Decision (majority) , Synergy FC: Kansas City Fight Night , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–15 (1) , Alateng Heili , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–14 (1) , Brian Kelleher , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–13 (1) , Alex Caceres , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 21–12 (1) , Roosevelt Roberts , NC (overturned) , UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:31 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–12 , Anderson Hutchinson , Decision (unanimous) , Fighting Alliance Championship 3 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Independence, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–12 , Adil Benjilany , Decision (split) , Bellator 239 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–12 , Charles Bennett , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fighting Alliance Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 , Independence, Missouri, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–12 ,

John Macapá John Teixeira da Conceição (born November 18, 1986), commonly known as John Macapá, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Teixeira has formerly competed fo ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 218 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–11 , Kamuela Kirk , Submission (triangle choke) , LFA 53 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:54 , Phoenix, Arizona, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–10 , Darrick Minner , TKO (elbows) , LFA 48 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Kearney, Nebraska Kearney is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 in the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birt ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–10 , Nate Jennerman , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , LFA 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 , Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–9 , CJay Hunter , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KC Fighting Alliance 27 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:16 , Independence, Missouri, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–9 , Matt Bessette , TKO (punches and kicks) , CES 41: Bessette vs. Croom , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:32 , Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–8 , Tatsuya Ando , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shooto Pacific Rim Double Championship , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:13 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–7 , Lenny Wheeler , TKO (punches) , Triumph FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:26 , Edmonton, Alberta, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7 ,

Rasul Mirzaev Rasul Rabadanovich Mirzaev (russian: Расу́л Рабада́нович Мирза́ев, born 30 March 1986) is an Avar - Dargin mixed martial artist born in Russia. Sports career and MMA Mirzaev began training at the Moscow-base ...

, TKO (punches) , Fight Nights Global 41: Dagestan , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:16 , Kaspiysk, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Jacob Akin , KO (punch) , Shamrock FC: Shock , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 , Jesse Brock , Decision (split) , MFC 40 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Edmonton, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Aslan Toktarbaev , TKO (corner stoppage) , Alash Pride: Great Battle 2 , , align=Center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Almaty Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...

, Kazakhstan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Deryck Ripley , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Time Production , , align=Center, 1 , align=center, 3:23 ,

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 , Dustin Phillips , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Titan FC 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5 , Javier Lujan , TKO (retirement) , World MMA Council: Mexican Standoff , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 ,

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju� ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 9–5 , Adam Rider , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Time Production , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:16 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–5 , Brian Pearman , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Tommy Tran Promotions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 , Springfield, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–5 , Brian Davidson , TKO (punches) , RFA 6: Krause vs. Imada 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–5 , Nate Murdock , Decision (unanimous) , Tommy Tran Promotions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Branson, Missouri, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–5 , Yaotzin Meza , Decision (unanimous) , Rage in the Cage 163 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Chandler, Arizona, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 , Ramiro Hernandez , Decision (split) , Titan FC 21 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Rodrigo Sotelo , Decision (unanimous) , Sun City Battle 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , El Paso, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3 , Justin Gaethje , KO (slam) , ROF 41: Bragging Rights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 , Broomfield, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , J.R. Sotelo , Submission (triangle choke) , Sun City Battle 1 , , align=Center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 , El Paso, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Brian Davidson , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:22 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Kody Frank , Submission (triangle choke) , Friday Night Fight Night , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:05 , Sedalia, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 , Eddie Granado , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Midwest Fight League , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:52 ,

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri Stat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 , Willie Mack , KO (punch) , Warfare Xtreme Cagefighting: Caged Controversy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 , Sedalia, Missouri, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Jose Vega , Submission , Hulett Productions: First Blood , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:22 , Sedalia, Missouri, United States ,

Bare knuckle boxing record

, - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Sean Wilson , KO (punch) , BKFC 33 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:36 , Omaha, Nebraska, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Croom, Kevin Living people Lightweight mixed martial artists 1987 births American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Columbia, Missouri