Dana White praises Kevin Croom: “Those who take big risks get big rewards”

UFC president Dana White has praised Kevin Croom after his short-notice win in his UFC debut at UFC Vegas 10 this past weekend.

Croom was a late addition to the card after previously being signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, only to be released without fighting for the promotion. This time around he was thrown in at the deep end, being given an incredibly tough test in the form of Roosevelt Roberts.

He passed that test with flying colors courtesy of a 31-second victory, and White took note of his resilience and opportunistic style on social media.

So fucking badass!

Those who take big risks, get BIG REWARDS https://t.co/KWQ1i0cEIn

— danawhite (@danawhite) September 14, 2020

“So fucking badass,” White wrote. “Those who take big risks, get BIG REWARDS”.

It’s been a fascinating few months for the UFC, and after looking back at the start of the COVID-19 era, White clearly has a renewed appreciation for the fighters on his roster.

“I’ll tell you, this is my take on it, and I talk about this with the fighters,” White said. “I’ve never been more proud to be part of this sport than I am right now. When COVID hit, I knew we could do it, I knew we could do it safely. I knew I would spend the money and figure out how to do this thing the right way. And I was so confident that we would go and we would be first because I knew my team would because the people at work at the UFC, we have the best group of people ever. I mean most of the people that work here, I wouldn’t say that everyone is, but most of them are just as passionate about this as I am.”

“Then the other part of the equation is the fighters,” White added. “I knew what it takes to do what these guys (do) — when you look at ‘The Karate Hottie’ and Angela Hill and what they did tonight — you can think whatever the f*ck you want to think, you and you, all the people watching on camera, you think you could do what they did tonight. You can’t. You can’t do what those two women did tonight. There’s something inside of them, and not just them but all the fighters, that makes them different than any other human being on earth. There are very few people that can do what they do. And they’re special athletes, and more special than the people who play with balls and sticks or whatever the hell it is they play with,” White said. “I knew they would go. I know fighters, I know how they’re built and how they’re wired, and I knew they would go (fight).”

What kind of reward do you think Dana White has in mind or Kevin Croom?