Robert Alexander McCullough IV (born May 26, 1977) is an American former

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

kickboxer and 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, incorpo ...

. A professional from 2001-2011 in MMA, McCullough has formerly competed for the WEC, Bellator,

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

, the

World Fighting Alliance The World Fighting Alliance (WFA) was a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. Owned and organized by MMA legend and trainer John Lewis (Promoter/Match Maker) and nightclub operator and "Club Rubber" promoter John Huntington ...

, the

Palace Fighting Championship Palace Fighting Championship (PFC) was a mixed martial arts (MMA) organization based in the United States that was created in 2007 by Christian Printup. It ceased operations in 2009. In 2001, Printup helped promotional newcomers Reed Harris and ...

, 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 ...

. In professional kickboxing, McCullough has competed for K-1.

Mixed martial arts career

World Extreme Cagefighting

McCullough began his

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

career with a first-round TKO victory at the Palace Casino in Lemoore, California, in 2001. Between 2003 and 2007, "Razor Rob" went 10-1 with nine stoppage victories and only a split-decision loss to Harris Sarmiento, which he later avenged. McCullough defeated Muay Thai fighter

Kit Cope Kristopher Lee "Kit" Cope (born March 17, 1977) is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight divisions. A four-time professional Muay Thai World Champion, Cope also ...

at '' WEC 25'' to win the vacant

WEC Lightweight Championship This is a list of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champions at each weight class. In December 2006 World Extreme Cagefighting was bought by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the UFC, to concentrate on the four smaller weight classes under th ...

. He defended the title once by defeating

Richard Crunkilton Richard Allan Crunkilton Jr (born November 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. Crunkilton is perhaps best known for his 8–2 stint with the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion. He currently competes in the Lightweight division. Earl ...

by first-round TKO. On February 13, 2008, he lost his title to

Jamie Varner Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and t ...

when Varner defeated him by TKO due to strikes in the third round. After losing his title, McCullough struggled over his next four fights in the now-defunct WEC. He defeated Kenneth Alexander by split decision but then lost to

Donald Cerrone Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ultimat ...

. He defeated

Marcus Hicks Marcus Dewayne Hicks (born November 25, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2014. A professional since 2002, he is perhaps best remembered for his six-fight stint in the WEC, but also competed for Legacy FC. Mixed ma ...

by majority decision, but he fractured his right hand and received minor damage to his ankle and subsequently underwent surgery to repair his hand. McCullough was expected to return to the cage against

Anthony Pettis Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of th ...

on November 18, 2009, at

WEC 44 ''WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting. It took place on November 18, 2009 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background Anthony Pettis was originally slated to face Rob McCul ...

; but Pettis had to pull out of the bout with an undisclosed injury. McCullough instead faced WEC newcomer Karen Darabedyan. McCullough lost to Darabedyan via split decision. With three losses in his last five fights, McCullough released by the WEC and would eventually join

Tachi Palace Fights Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which hosted events at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Matchmaker for TPF was former fighter Richard Goodman. Regarded as a regional promotion, ...

, returning to the venue where his career began, and had somewhat of a resurgence. McCullough defeated Isaac de Jesus by first-round TKO on July 9, 2010, at Tachi Palace Fight 5. He then defeated

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

veteran

Corey Hill Corey Cornelius Hill (October 3, 1978 – May 15, 2015) was an American mixed martial artist. In high school in Florida he won state wrestling championships on multiple occasions and was a two-time national finalist college wrestler. Mixed marti ...

by unanimous decision on September 9, 2010, at Tachi Palace Fight 6.

Bellator MMA

On October 14, 2010, McCullough signed with Bellator to compete in the promotion's upcoming Season Four Lightweight Tournament. He was knocked out by a counter right by Patricky "The Pitbull" Freire.

DREAM

McCullough next faced

Shinya Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and grappler currently competing in ONE Championship's and Rizin Fighting Federation's Welterweight division. He also competes in DDT Pro-Wrestling where he is a former three-time DDT E ...

at DREAM 17. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Personal life

McCullough was married to Kristina McCullough. The couple had their first child, a son, in March 2010 and second child, a son born in November 2014. Divorced Kristina McCullough in May, 2020 and is now engaged to FightCamp Trainer Shanie Rusth. He is of Irish and Mexican descent. McCullough also owns MMA apparel company Razor Clothing.

Championships and accomplishments

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

(One time) **One successful title defense

Kickboxing record

, - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2004-08-07 , , Loss , , align=left, James Martinez , ,

K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas II This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...

, ,

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...

, , TKO , , 1 , , 1:53 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2004-04-30 , , Win , , align=left, John Polakowski , ,

K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas I This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...

, ,

, , TKO , , 2 , , 2:38 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997 , , Win , , align=left,

Gary Owens Gary Owens (born Gary Bernard Altman; May 10, 1934 – February 12, 2015) was an American radio announcer, personality, disc jockey and voice actor. His polished baritone speaking voice generally offered deadpan recitations of total nonsense, wh ...

, , I.S.K.A Jr Welterweight State Kickboxing Championship , , San Jose, California, USA , , TKO , , 2 , , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997 - 1999 , , Win , , align=left, Eddie Wedding , , U.W.M.T.A Welterweight U.S. Champion , , Sequoia Conference Center, Buena Park, California USA , , KO , , , , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997 - 1999 , , Win , , align=left, William Syripai , , U.W.M.T.A Welterweight U.S. Champion , , Sequoia Conference Center, Buena Park, California USA , , DEC , , , , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997 - 1999 , , Win , , align=left, Mitch Milat , , U.W.M.T.A Welterweight U.S. Champion , , Sequoia Conference Center, Buena Park, California USA , , KO , , , , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997 - 1999 , , Win , , align=left, Javier Janjira , , U.W.M.T.A Welterweight U.S. Champion, , Whittier Hilton, Whittier California USA , , KO , , , , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997 - 1999 , , Win , , align=left, Phally Rin , , U.W.M.T.A Welterweight U.S. Champion , , Sequoia Conference Center, Buena Park, California USA , , DEC , , , , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998 , , Win , , align=left, Lee Hua , , I.K.K.C Jr Welterweight U.S. Champion , , Crystal Park Casino, California USA , , DEC , , , , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998 , , Win , , align=left, , , I.A.M.T.F Welterweight U.S. Champion , , Maywood, California USA , , DEC , , , , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1998 , , Win , , align=left,

Scott Thorson Scott Thorson (born January 23, 1959) is an American known for his relationship with and lawsuit against the entertainer Liberace. Liberace Relationship A teenaged Thorson met Liberace in 1976 through his romantic friendship with dancer B ...

, , I.K.B.A Welterweight International Kickboxing Champion , , Whittier, California USA , , DEC , , , , , - , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 19–8 ,

, Submission (neck crank) , DREAM 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:57 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–7 ,

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 ...

, TKO (punches) , Bellator 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:11 , Shreveport, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , TPF 6: High Stakes , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Isaac DeJesus , TKO (punches) , TPF 5: Stars and Strikes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 , Karen Darabedyan , Decision (split) ,

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

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 ,

, Decision (majority) , WEC 39 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

WEC 36 ''WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on November 5, 2008 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event aired live on the Versus Network. Bac ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Kenneth Alexander , Decision (split) ,

WEC 34 ''WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008, at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and ...

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

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

WEC 32 ''WEC 32: New Mexico'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) that took place on Wednesday, February 13, 2008. For the first time under Zuffa ownership, the show was held in Rio Rancho, New Mexico and no ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:54 ,

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

WEC 30 ''WEC 30: McCullough vs. Crunkilton'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). The event took place on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and aired live on t ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 ,

, Submission (punches) , WEC 25 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Harris Sarmiento , Decision (unanimous) , WFA: King of the Streets , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 ,

Ryan Healy Ryan Healy (born July 20, 1983) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who has competed for many promotions including Strikeforce, WEC, Shine Fights, and Full Contact Fighting Federation. He is also the twin brother of mixed-m ...

, TKO (cut) ,

WEC 21 ''WEC 21: Tapout'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 15, 2006. ''WEC 21s main event was a fight between Rob McCullough and Ryan Healy. Results See also * World Extreme Cagefighting * List of World Extreme Cagefighting champ ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 ,

Highland, California Highland (and neighboring "East Highlands") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population of the city was 53,104 as of the 2010 census, up from 44,605 at the 2000 census. The term ''Highland'' also refers to a geo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Randy Hauer , TKO (punches) ,

WEC 20 ''WEC 20: Cinco de Mayhem'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on May 5, 2006 at Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. ''WEC 20s main event was a heavyweight bout between Brian Olsen a ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Olaf Alfonso , KO (punch) ,

WEC 19 ''WEC 19: Undisputed'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 17, 2006 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California.http://www.wec.tv/index.cfm?fa=eventdetail.fightCard&eid=572 The event aired li ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:12 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Gabe Rivas , Submission (verbal) , KOTC 63 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:11 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Jeremy Jones , TKO (punches) , KOTC 58 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Andrew Williams , TKO (punches) , PFC: Pit Fighting Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Upland, California Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States on the border with neighboring Los Angeles County. The municipality is located at an elevation of 1,242 feet (379 m). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 79,040 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 , Harris Sarmiento , Decision (split) ,

WEC 9 WEC 9: Cold Blooded was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on January 16, 2004, at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, California. The main event saw Mike Kyle take on Jude Hargett. Results ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Danny Devine , TKO (leg kicks) , PFC: Put Up or Shut Up , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 ,

Nam Phan Nhat Nam Si Phan (born March 13, 1983), better known as Nam Phan, is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and professional boxer. A professional in mixed martial arts since 2001, Phan has also competed for the Ultimate Fig ...

, Decision (unanimous) , PFC: Knucklefest , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Anthony Garcia , KO (punches) , PFC: Knucklefest , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , William Sriyapai , Decision (unanimous) , PFC: Knucklefest , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 ,

Josh Thomson Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1977) is an American mixed martial arts podcaster, commentator, analyst and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2001, Thomson has competed in Bellator MMA, PRIDE, Strikeforce, U ...

, Decision (unanimous) , WFA 3: Level 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Kenneth Alexander , Decision (unanimous) , HFP 1: Rumble on the Reservation , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:00 , Anza, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Steve Wagner , TKO (corner stoppage) , Ultimate Pankration 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:55 ,

Cabazon, California Cabazon (Spanish: ''Cabazón'') is a unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Cabazon is on the Pacific Crest Trail. In the 21st century, the area has become a tourist stop, due to the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jesse Heck , TKO (punches) ,

WEC 2 ''WEC 2: Clash of the Titans'' was a mixed martial arts event held on October 4, 2001, at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. ''WEC 2s main event was a fight between Gan McGee and Ron Faircloth. Results ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 , Lemoore, California, United States ,

References

External links

*
Rob McCullough
on Myspace {{DEFAULTSORT:McCullough, Rob Living people 1977 births American male kickboxers Kickboxers from California American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American Muay Thai practitioners American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent World Extreme Cagefighting champions Sportspeople from Huntington Beach, California