Kevin Croom Replaces Giga Chikadze, Meets Alex Caceres at UFC Fight Night 175

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After 32 professional fights, Kevin Croom will get his first Ultimate Fighting Championship opportunity.

Croom will step in for Giga Chikadze in a featherweight matchup against Alex Caceres at UFC Fight Night 175 after Chikadze withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons. MMAFighting.com was first to report the change, and Croom later confirmed the news via social media.

UFC Fight Night 175 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a three-round light heavyweight tilt between Anthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic. The main card streams on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims air on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

The 33-year-old Croom will enter his Octagon debut with a 20-12 career mark that includes appearances in Bellator MMA, Legacy Fighting Alliance and Titan FC. “The Hard-Hitting Hillbilly” is currently on a two-bout winning streak.

Caceres has won three of his last four Octagon appearances, including a three-round verdict over Chase Hooper in his most recent outing at UFC 250 on June 6.

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I’ve waited my whole life to post this!!! We fuckin did it!!!

A post shared by Kevin Croom (@kevincroom_mma) on Aug 25, 2020 at 4:50pm PDT