Abel Cullum (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and former King of the Cage Flyweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts career

King of the Cage

Cullum made his debut for the

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstre ...

promotion in November 2006. In May 2008, he won the promotion's Flyweight (135 lbs) title and successfully defend the title four times over the next two years. He recently lost the title to

Jimmie Rivera Jimmie Rivera (born June 29, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer, currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Prior to signing with BKFC, Rivera competed in the UFC's Bantamweight divis ...

via split decision. Within the promotion he has posted a record of 8-1.

EliteXC 140lb Championship

Cullum agreed to step in for an injured

Bao Quach Bao Quach (born September 4, 1979) is an American featherweight professional mixed martial artist who has fought for Bellator, Affliction, M-1 Global, EliteXC, Strikeforce, World Extreme Cagefighting, King of the Cage, and Shooto promotions. ...

and face Brazilian

Wilson Reis Wilson Reis (born January 6, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. Reis is the former EliteXC Bantamweight Champion and has also competed for UFC, Bellator, ShoXC and Cage Warriors. Reis also appeared ...

for

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States–based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decem ...

's 140 lb Championship. It was a highly acclaimed fight, with a lot of very advanced submission attempts and defenses from both fighters. However Abel was unable to overcome the larger Reis, losing the five-round match by unanimous decision.

DREAM

Cullum competed in the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix. he defeated

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

Akiyo Nishiura (born August 8, 1983) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Nishiura currently competes in MMA for the DREAM organization as a Featherweight and has also fought for Shooto, Cage Force, and DEEP. Mixed martial arts car ...

via unanimous decision in the first round of the tournament. In the second round of the tournament he faced

Hideo Tokoro Hideo Tokoro (born August 22, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who last competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, Tokoro has also formerly competed for Vale Tudo Japan, ZST, Shooto, Rings and K-1 He ...

who he lost to via

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

. Cullum faced

Masakazu Imanari is a Japanese mixed martial artist and submission wrestler. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2000, he is a veteran of ONE Championship, DEEP, ZST, Pancrase, PRIDE F ...

in the opening round of the DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix at Dream 17 at the

Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Chūō-ku, Saitama (city), Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum capa ...

Saitama, Japan is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...

, on Sept. 24. He lost the bout via submission in the third round.

Resurrection Fighting Alliance

After nearly three years away from the sport, Cullum signed with the Resurrection Fighting Alliance promotion. Cullum faced

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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

veteran Ulysses Gomez at RFA 18: Manzanares vs. Pantoja on September 12, 2014. He won the fight via first round guillotine choke. Cullum made a quick return to the cage as he replaced an injured

Jeff Curran Jeff Curran (born September 2, 1977) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2016, Curran fought at a number of different weight classes for a large number of promotions including Bella ...

to face Carl Deaton at RFA 19: Collier vs. Checco on October 10, 2014. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 ,

Steve Garcia Estevan Garcia Jr. (born May 22, 1992), known as Steve Garcia, is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has previously competed in Bellator's bant ...

, Decision (unanimous) , JacksonWink Fight Night 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 , Joshua Montoya , Submission (guillotine choke) , JacksonWink Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 , Carl Deaton , Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA 19: Collier vs. Checco , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:43 ,

Prior Lake, Minnesota Prior Lake is an exurban city southwest of Minneapolis, next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city is south of the Minnesota River in an area k ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 , Ulysses Gomez , Submission (guillotine choke) , RFA 18: Manzanares vs. Pantoja , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Dream 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:46 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 , Jared Papazian , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC: Epic Force , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–4 ,

, Decision (split) , KOTC: No Mercy , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeastern part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Re ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Joshua Montoya , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KOTC: Honor , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:38 ,

Mescalero, New Mexico Mescalero () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, located on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The population was 1,338 at the 2010 census. History The settlement was originally called Blazer's M ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Joe Coca , Submission (kimura) , KOTC: Vengeance , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Richard Montano , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC: Gate Keeper , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Dream 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:38 ,

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

Dream 7 ''Dream.7: Feather Weight Grandprix 2009 1st Round'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group's (FEG) mixed martial arts promotion Dream (mixed martial arts), Dream on March 8, 2009. This event featured six of ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Brett Roller , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KOTC: Goodfellas , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Santa Ynez, California Santa Ynez ( ; Spanish for "St. Agnes", originally spelled ''Santa Inés'') is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 4,505 at the 2020 census, up from 4,418 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Ryan Diaz , Submission (armbar) , KOTC: Reckless , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, ninth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, and the largest city by population in the Mississippi Delta region. It is the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, Was ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Zach Jenkins , Submission (rear naked choke) , KOTC: Warlords , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Towaoc, Colorado Towaoc is a census-designated place (CDP), a post office, and the capital of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe located on the Ute Mountain Reservation in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. The Towaoc post office has the ZIP Code 81334 ( post ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Eddie Armendariz , KO (punch) , KOTC: Hierarchy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Jasper Church , TKO , DE: Clash of the Titans , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Gerald Sedillo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Southwest Fury , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Sunland Park, New Mexico Sunland Park is a city in southeastern Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States, on the borders of Texas and the Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua, with Ciudad Juárez adjoining it on the south and El Paso, Texas, on the ea ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , John Chester , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KOTC: Cyclone , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Alfredo Herrea , Submission (armbar) , Universal Fight Promotions , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:04 ,

Alamogordo, New Mexico Alamogordo () is a city in and the county seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Jeremy Ramage , TKO (soccer kicks and punches) , DE: Tucumcari Pride , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Gabe Brockmier , TKO , DE: Total Chaos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Joel Garvin , Submission (triangle choke) , DE: Thursday Throwdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Thomas Urquides , Submission (triangle choke) , DE: Socorro , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Sammy Saenz , KO (punch) , DE: Tribal Nation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Richard Montano , Decision (unanimous) , DE: Socorro Showdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Michael Chupa , Submission (rear-naked choke) , DE: Beyond Brutal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

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Abel Cullum's ProElite pageMMA Universe's Fight Finder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullum, Abel 1987 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from New Mexico People from Tucumcari, New Mexico Sportspeople from New Mexico