Daron Jae Cruickshank (born June 11, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing as a lightweight for the Xtreme Fighting Championships. A professional competitor since 2008, he also formerly competed for the UFC, King of the Cage and was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: Live.

Background

Originally from Westland, Michigan, Cruickshank began training in combat sports from a young age. Both of Cruickshank's parents are fourth degree black belts in Taekwondo who ran their own schools. His father is a former mixed martial artist with multiple black belts, while his mother is also a former professional competitor in kickboxing and boxing. Cruickshank is a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo and was also a talented wrestler, having competed in wrestling and also swimming since he was in the eighth grade. He wrestled collegiately, and was a NJCAA national finalist, as well as a two-time NCAA Division III national qualifier at Olivet College where he earned a bachelor's degree in fitness management.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Cruickshank made his amateur debut in August 2008 where he defeated Tom Grisham via KO at XCC 11: Duel in Downriver 2. He then went on to compile an amateur record of 8–1 while capturing two titles.

King of the Cage

In his professional debut he fought Ricky Stettner at KOTC: Strike Point, where he won by first-round KO. He fought Bobby Green at KOTC: Imminent Danger for the Junior Welterweight Championship but lost by a guillotine choke in round 2.

Bellator Fighting Championships

On July 12, 2011, it was announced that Cruickshank signed a contract with Bellator Fighting Championships to fight on their upcoming Summer Series card on July 23. He was to fight Lithuanian fighter Sergej Juskevic but the fight was scrapped at the last minute.

The Ultimate Fighter

He competed on The Ultimate Fighter: Live, beginning in March, 2012. In the elimination fight, he defeated Drew Dober by unanimous decision to get into the TUF house. Cruickshank was selected third (sixth overall) by Urijah Faber to be part of his team. In the first fight on the show, he was chosen to face James Vick of Team Cruz. Despite controlling much of the action in the opening round, he was knocked out with a knee on a takedown attempt.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Cruickshank faced fellow cast member Chris Tickle on June 1, 2012, at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale. He won the fight via unanimous decision. He was expected to take on Henry Martinez on September 1, 2012, at UFC 151. However, after UFC 151 was cancelled, the bout was rescheduled to December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. He next fought John Makdessi on March 16, 2013, at UFC 158. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. In the final 10 seconds of the Makdessi fight, he had his nose badly injured and wound up having surgery to repair what his doctor called "the worst thing he's ever seen." He underwent the surgery in May 2013. Cruickshank faced off against Yves Edwards on July 27, 2013, at UFC on Fox 8, replacing an injured Spencer Fisher. He won the fight via split decision in a closely contested fight. He fought Adriano Martins on November 9, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 32. Martins defeated him via submission in the second round. Cruickshank faced Mike Rio on January 25, 2014, at UFC on Fox 10. He won the fight by wheel kick to the face and punches at 4:56 of the second round. He took on Erik Koch on May 10, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 40. Cruickshank, a significant betting underdog, won the fight via TKO due to a kick and punches in the first round. Cruickshank faced Jorge Masvidal on July 26, 2014, at UFC on Fox 12. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. He fought Anthony Njokuani on October 4, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Cruickshank faced K. J. Noons on December 12, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale. After a back-and-forth first round, the fight was stopped in the second round when Cruickshank received a second inadvertent eye poke and was unable to continue. Because they had not reached the third round, the fight was declared a No Contest. He fought Beneil Dariush on March 14, 2015, at UFC 185. He missed weight and was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to Dariush. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. Cruickshank took on James Krause on July 25, 2015, at UFC on Fox 16. He lost the fight by submission in the first round. He faced Paul Felder on January 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 81. He lost the fight via submission in the third round. After losing three straight fights, he was released from his UFC contract on March 1, 2016.

Rizin FF

In March 2016, it was announced that Cruickshank had signed with Rizin Fighting Federation. He made his debut against Shinji Sasaki on April 17, 2016, and won the fight via TKO due to soccer kicks in the first round. In his second fight for the promotion, he faced Dutch kickboxer Andy Souwer on September 25, 2016. He won via submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round. He was expected to face Chris Brown at WXC 77 on April 24, 2019. However, Brown missed the contracted weight and Cruickshank declined to proceed to the bout. Cruickshank faced Tofiq Musayev at Rizin 16 - Kobe on June 2, 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. He fought Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator & Rizin: Japan on December 29, 2019. He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Post-Rizin

While still being under contract with Rizin but unable to enter Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cruickshank signed a one-fight contract with Taura MMA. In his promotional debut, he took on Deivison Ribeiro at Taura MMA 11 on October 30, 2020. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Cruickshank faced Guilherme Faria on August 6, 2021, at XFC 45. He lost the bout via split decision.

Personal life

In 2013, he founded Michigan Top Team in co-operation with Jason Fischer.

Mixed martial arts record

Mixed martial arts exhibition record