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.

Richard Crunkilton Jr
Born (1979-11-25) November 25, 1979 (age 45)
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Other namesCleat
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
DivisionLightweight
Reach73 in (185 cm)
Fighting out ofNew Smyrna Beach, Florida
TeamNew Smyrna Beach Mixed Martial Arts, American Kickboxing Academy
RankBlack belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Black belt in Judo
Years active1999–2013
Mixed martial arts record
Total23
Wins19
By knockout8
By submission7
By decision4
Losses4
By knockout2
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Early career

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Crunkilton made his professional MMA debut in October 1999, defeating Ray Totorico via TKO. Following this, Crunkilton would compile a record of 8–0 before signing with the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion in 2002.[1]

World Extreme Cagefighting

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Crunkilton made his debut on June 7, 2002, at WEC 3, defeating Cruz Gomez via first-round TKO.[2] He then made a quick turnaround and faced Luciano Oliveira at WEC 4 on August 31, 2002. He won the fight via armbar submission.[3]

Crunkilton then defeated Victor Estrada at WEC 5: Halloween Havoc on October 18, 2002, due to an ankle injury.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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With an impressive undefeated record of 11–0, Crunkilton signed with the UFC and faced Hermes França at UFC 42 on April 25, 2003. Though Crunkilton was the moderate favorite coming into the fight, he would lose the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released shortly after.[4]

Return to WEC

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Following a short stint in the UFC, Crunkilton returned at WEC 15 on May 19, 2005, defeating Paul Jenkins via KO. He faced Nick Ertl at WEC 18: Unfinished Business on January 13, 2006. He won the fight via TKO, advancing his WEC to 5–0.[5]

He then faced Adam Lynn at WEC 21 on June 15, 2006. He won the fight via rear-naked choke.[6] Crunkilton won his next fight against Mike Joy at WEC 25 on January 20, 2007, via D'arce choke.[7]

Crunkilton lost his first fight in the WEC on September 5, 2007,[8] when he lost to Rob McCullough via TKO for the WEC Lightweight Championship at WEC 30.[9]

He defeated Sergio Gomez on March 26, 2008, at WEC 33. He was scheduled to face Donald Cerrone at WEC 34, but was forced off the card with an injury.[10] Crunkilton was forced to withdraw from his bout with Bart Palaszewski at WEC 39 because of a knee injury.[11] He was again scheduled to fight Donald Cerrone on June 7, 2009, at WEC 41, but dropped out due to another undisclosed injury.[12]

Crunkilton made his return from injury at WEC 43 where he lost by decision to WEC newcomer Dave Jansen.[13]

Shortly after his defeat at WEC 43, Crunkilton was released from the promotion.[14]

Post-WEC

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In his first fight since leaving the WEC, Crunkilton faced UFC veteran Carlo Prater at the Shine: Lightweight Grand Prix on September 10, 2010. He won the fight via split decision.[15] After a three-year hiatus, Crunkilton returned to MMA and faced Akhmet Aliev at Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 14 on December 7, 2013. Crunkilton lost the fight via KO.[16]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
23 matches 19 wins 4 losses
By knockout 8 2
By submission 7 0
By decision 4 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 19–4 Akhmet Aliev KO (punch) Fight Nights - Battle of Moscow 14 December 7, 2013 1 1:15 Moscow, Russia
Win 19–3 Carlo Prater Decision (split) Shine: Lightweight Grand Prix September 10, 2010 3 5:00 Newkirk, Oklahoma, United States
Loss 18–3 Dave Jansen Decision (unanimous) WEC 43 October 10, 2009 3 5:00 San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win 18–2 Sergio Gomez Decision (unanimous) WEC 33: Marshall vs. Stann March 26, 2008 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 17–2 Rob McCullough TKO (punches) WEC 30 September 5, 2007 1 1:29 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For the WEC Lightweight Championship.
Win 17–1 Mike Joy Submission (D'arce choke) WEC 25 January 20, 2007 3 4:23 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 16–1 Adam Lynn Submission (rear-naked choke) WEC 21: Tapout June 15, 2006 2 1:20 Highland, California, United States
Win 15–1 Nick Ertl TKO (punches) WEC 18: Unfinished Business January 13, 2006 2 3:55 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 14–1 James Martinez TKO (punches) Freedom Fight - Canada vs USA July 9, 2005 1 3:31 Quebec, Canada
Win 13–1 Paul Jenkins KO (punches) WEC 15 May 19, 2005 2 2:36 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 12–1 Peter Kaljevic Submission (armbar) Real Fighting Championships 1 February 18, 2005 1 3:44 Tampa, Florida, United States
Loss 11–1 Hermes França Decision (unanimous) UFC 42 April 25, 2003 3 5:00 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 11–0 Víctor Estrada Submission (ankle injury) WEC 5: Halloween Havoc October 18, 2002 1 1:13 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 10–0 Luciano Oliveira Submission (armbar) WEC 4 August 31, 2002 1 1:55 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 9–0 Cruz Gomez TKO (punches) WEC 3 June 7, 2002 1 3:04 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 8–0 Bao Quach KO (punches) UA 2 - The Gathering March 16, 2002 2 1:20 Cabazon, California, United States
Win 7–0 Aaron Jerome TKO (punches) RITR - Rumble in the Rockies January 26, 2002 1 1:00 Denver, Colorado, United States
Win 6–0 Eric Hibler Decision RSF 1 - Redemption in the Valley April 21, 2001 3 4:00 Wheeling, West Virginia, United States
Win 5–0 Zviad Abuseridze Submission (triangle choke) WEF - World Extreme Fighting: Rumble at the Rodeo 2 March 17, 2001 2 1:17 Kissimmee, Florida, United States
Win 4–0 Leonard Speights KO (punches) WEF - World Extreme Fighting: Rumble at the Rodeo 1 December 16, 2000 1 N/A United States
Win 3–0 Scott Johnson Submission (kneebar) WVF - Battlejax August 26, 2000 1 5:19 Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win 2–0 Robert Irizarry Decision (unanimous) WEF - New Blood Conflict August 26, 2000 3 3:00 United States
Win 1–0 Ray Totorico TKO (punches) WEF 7 - Stomp in the Swamp October 9, 1999 2 2:24 Kenner, Louisiana, United States

References

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  1. ^ "Rich Crunkilton Official Tapology Profile". tapology.com. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  2. ^ "WEC 3: All of Nothing Fight Results". sherdog.com. 2002-07-02.
  3. ^ "WEC 4: Rumble Under The Sun Official Results". mixedmartialarts.com. 2002-08-31.
  4. ^ "UFC 42: Hermes Franca vs. Rich Crunkilton". tapology.com. 2003-04-25.
  5. ^ "Crunkilton vs. Ertl at WEC 18: Fighter Pictures". sherdog.com. 2006-01-13.
  6. ^ "WEC 21: Tapout Results". sherdog.com. 2006-06-15.
  7. ^ "Rich "Cleat" Crunkilton vs. Mike Joy". tapology.com. 2007-01-20.
  8. ^ "WEC 30 McCullough vs. Crunkilton Card Set". MMA Weekly. 2007-08-30.
  9. ^ "McCullough KO's Crunkilton at WEC 30". fightreport.net. 2007-09-05.
  10. ^ "Castillo replaces Crunkilton at WEC 34". mmajunkie.com. 2008-05-28. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31.
  11. ^ "Crunkilton injured, replacement Lamas meets Palaszewski at WEC 39". mmajunkie.com. 2009-02-25. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012.
  12. ^ "Rich Crunkilton Out vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, James Krause In at WEC 41". bloodyelbow.com. 2009-04-15.
  13. ^ "WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson on October 10 in San Antonio, Texas". MMAFrenzy.com. 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  14. ^ "Rich Crunkilton released by the WEC". fiveouncesofpain.com. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
  15. ^ "Shine Fights 3 - 2010 Lightweight Grand Prix Official Results". mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  16. ^ "Akhmet Aliev vs. Rich "Cleat" Crunkilton". tapology.com. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
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