UFC Vegas 20: Alex Caceres vs Kevin Croom Preview

The Fighters

Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres (17-12 1 NC, 12-10 1 NC UFC) is on a three-fight winning streak for the first time since 2014. Someone who is often considered a journeyman, Caceres takes almost every fight opportunity that comes his way, making him somewhat of a fan favorite. At only age 32, this will already be his 24th fight with the promotion. 2020 was an excellent year for him as he dominated Chase Hooper in June and submitted Austin Springer in round one in August. He’s now 4-1 since the start of 2018. 

Caceres has dominated lesser opponents throughout his career but has never made that leap into becoming a ranked featherweight. He is hoping to add to his resume and end up on a four-fight winning streak with a win on Saturday.

Kevin “Crash” Croom (21-12 1 NC, 0-0 1 NC UFC) had an impressive performance in his UFC debut back in September. After submitting Roosevelt Roberts by a guillotine choke 31 seconds into the fight, Croom was awarded a Performance Bonus honor. However, the fight would later be overturned to a no-contest after Croom tested positive for marijuana.

Croom, who fought at lightweight in his UFC debut, will go down a division and take on Caceres in a featherweight matchup. He has 10 wins by submission and six by knockout for a 76% finish rate in his career. It will be interesting to see how he matches up against a veteran opponent in his second UFC fight.

Alex Caceres vs Kevin Croom Matchup Breakdown

This fight features an intriguing stylistic matchup as both fighters have shown their abilities to win on their feet and on the ground. With 16 total submissions between the two fighters, it’s possible that this fight could end on the ground with someone tapping out. The bigger question is how quickly will this fight go to the ground, and when it does, what will each fighter do? While Caceres has six career submissions, it may be wise for him to keep this fight on the feet as he has better striking. 

As previously mentioned, Croom is a force to be reckoned with on the ground, and he proved that in his UFC debut. While Caceres could go for takedowns, Croom likely has the advantage on the ground. While neither guy exactly has knockout power, Caceres has the striking advantage, including more effective kicks.

Alex Caceres vs Kevin Croom Prediction

While Croom looked great in his first UFC debut, I expect Caceres to win on Saturday night. Caceres has proven that he can take advantage of lesser experienced fighters in his two previous contests. Croom has yet to prove he can last with someone like Caceres, who already has 23 UFC fights under his belt. While either is a threat to lock in a submission, I think Caceres will keep this fight on the feet where he has a clear advantage. Not to mention, Croom is fighting at featherweight, a new division that will likely cause him to undergo a more significant weight cut.

Caceres would be on a four-fight winning streak and deserving of a step-up in competition with a win. At the moment, Caceres is listed as a -220 favorite to win this bout on Saturday.

Regardless, it will be interesting to watch who comes out on top in this fight!

UFC Vegas 20: Main Card

• Heavyweight: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Ciryl Gane
• Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev vs Nikita Krylov
• Flyweight: Montana De La Rosa vs Mayra Bueno Silva
• Bantamweight: Pedro Munhoz vs Jimmie Rivera
• Strawweight: Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder
• Featherweight: Alex Caceres vs Kevin Croom

UFC Vegas 20: Preliminary Card

• Lightweight: Alexander Hernandez vs Thiago Moises
• Welterweight: Alex Oliveira vs Ramazan Kuramagomedov
• Welterweight: Alexis Davis vs Sabina Mazo
• Flyweight: William Knight vs Alonzo Menifield
• Bantamweight: Vince Cachero vs Ronnie Lawrence
• Light Heavyweight: Maxim Grishin vs Dustin Jacoby

Who do you see winning the Alex Caceres vs Kevin Croom fight? Let us know your prediction in the comments below!

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