With Giga Chikadze out, Kevin Croom steps in to face Alex Caceres at UFC on ESPN 16

After more than 30 professional fights, Kevin Croom finally will get his chance to compete in the UFC.

Giga Chikadze has been forced out of UFC on ESPN 16, and Croom will step in to face Alex Caceres on Saturday. MMA Junkie confirmed the replacement after an initial report from MMA Fighting on Tuesday.

Croom (21-12), a Bellator, Titan FC and LFA veteran, has competed all across major organizations. Training out of Glory MMA in Kansas City, Croom has won his past three in a row, most recently a unanimous decision over Anderson Hutchinson at Fighting Alliance Championship just 12 days ago.

Caceres (16-12 MMA, 11-10 UFC) is coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since 2016. After defeating Steven Peterson, Caceres upset highly touted Chase Hooper, bouncing him out of the ranks of the unbeaten at UFC 250 in June.

UFC on ESPN 16 takes place Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams live on ESPN.

The latest UFC on ESPN 16 lineup includes:

• Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic
• Robbie Lawler vs. Neil Magny
• Alexa Grasso vs. Ji Yeon Kim
• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba
• Impa Kasanganay vs. Maki Pitolo
• Bill Algeo vs. Ricardo Lamas
• Hannah Cifers vs. Mallory Martin
• Zak Cummings vs. Alessio Di Chirico
• Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom
• Polyana Viana vs. Emily Whitmire
• Christian Aguilera vs. Sean Brady