Keegan Vandermeer knuckles up against Sawyer Depee in the main event on Friday’s BKFC card, with Depee ranked #4 in the promotion’s cruiserweight division. In the co-main event, flyweights are in action with boxer Andrew Strode taking on Dominick Carey, with both entering just their second bare-knuckle fight.

Both men had been successful in their BKFC debuts, but while Strode had some pro boxing experience, Carey had made the jump from amateur MMA straight to BKFC.

Where to Watch BKFC Prospect Series: Denver

Friday, May 31, 2024 sees BKFC set up shop at the National Western Center in Denver, Colorado. The action is available via the BKFC App, and on Fubo TV in the U.S. The event can also be purchased as a PPV via Youtube; preliminary action is below. Full results from the card can also be found below.

BKFC Prospect Series: Denver

Main Card

Sawyer Depee def. Keegan Vandermeer by KO, Round 1, 1:33
Andrew Strode vs. Dominick Carey
Josh Huber def. Andrew Yates by TKO, Round 4
Cristina Crist def. Cassie Robb by TKO, Round 2, 0:52
Dylan Schulte def. Ruben Arroyo by TKO, Round 1, 0:32
Lumumba Sayers def. Jeremy Morrison by KO, Round 1, 0:12
Ramiro Figueroa def. Brett Hudson by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 5:00
Derrick Findley def. Sergio Lopez by TKO, Round 3, 0:57

Preliminary Card

Zeb Vincent def. Casey Moss by TKO (injury), Round 3, 2:00
Joseph Creer def. Daniel Mitchell by TKO, Round 2, 1:08
Matthew Maestas def. Jessie Stalder by KO, Round 1, 0:44

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He is fighting the number four ranked BKFC cruiserweight here in Depee. For Vandermeer, this is exciting some days and nerve-wracking other days but he is in it for the thrill per his own words.

The native of Cedar City, Utah is a cerebral, meticulous fighter. This was noticed with how much he familiarized himself with crowd noises and the opponent taking up space in his head. This is done so as to thoughtfully approach things day to day in camp. But to also be ready for fight night itself.

This will be Vandermeer’s third BKFC fight in Denver now. The higher altitude spot is familiar enough with the area that he describes it as where his fight sport endeavors really started. Vandermeer likes competing here and is the home for his combative career.

Keegan Vandermeer

The patience in Depee is a noticeable variable for Vandermeer heading into this one. Sawyer Depee has also been in there with guys who’ve contended for titles across multiple divisions including the specific weight category he’s in, cruiserweight.

Quentin Henry fits the bill for being a previous cruiserweight title contender in the company that Depee faced. But he has also fought Uly Diaz who was in BKFC’s inaugural middleweight title fight for the then-vacant crown.

For someone with BKFC world title aspirations, this would seemingly behoove Vandermeer in a lot of regards. To that, Keegan Vandermeer said,

“It does, and I take a lot of pride in being able to be placed in that spot. It’s for me like just kind of like speaking to my competitor spirit, you know, you’re right, you know. What I want is I want the best. I want the best of the best and I’m out here to test myself. To test the threshold of the capability.”

“So, and with something like this, securing a win over Sawyer Depee would not only on paper would that look good. But in like the realms of life period, you know, that’s a pretty big notch. That’s a pretty big notch. He’s legendary in his own right, you know. He’s like, you know, like you said he’s been in with people who are strong and he’s been in there with champions. So it’s actually an honor and a privilege. I take it very seriously.”

BKFC Prospect Series: Denver

Vandermeer has been working with flyweight Andrew Strode who’s in the co-main event of this BKFC Prospect Series: Denver card. The two are keeping each other accountable and have a strong camaraderie leading into the card with an attitude of “we’re all in this together”.

Keegan Vandermeer learned from his last fight with another top-five-ranked cruiserweight Esteban Rodriguez that he needs to bring a bit more of a calculated pressure in this fight. To earn the respect right off the bat but not overly risk it so as to play right into his opponent’s game plan and overextend to his detriment.

Depee possesses a pair of back-to-back, first-round finishes heading into this bout. Vandermeer also has a pair of opening-round finishes within the BKFC ring. This is a don’t blink because it’s gonna pop off, fireworks guaranteed sort of fight and it all goes down Friday night.

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The Denver-born combatant is super accustomed to the higher altitude in Colorado. He has been boxing since he was nine or eight fighting in area gyms and was sparring a lot. Strode has close to two-hundred amateur gloved boxing bouts as well as several professional boxing bouts before entering Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

He really took to bare-knuckle boxing quite a bit though as he looks to go 2-0 in BKFC in the coming days.

Even though this is his sophomore fight in the company, a statement win could get Andrew Strode right near the top five rankings hierarchy at flyweight. Despite the upward mobility possible at 125 pounds, the 27 year old’s goal is longevity in the sport, fighting everybody possible, and not necessarily chasing the belt which he sees as something that will always be there anyway.

Andrew Strode

In terms of fight to fight growth, Strode felt like he was tense and got hit a bit too much in his BKFC debut. He looks forward to showing off some interesting new tools in this second go around with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Also of note, Andrew Strode is working with BKFC Prospect Series: Denver headliner Keegan Vandermeer. Although they are far apart in weight with Vandermeer being a cruiserweight, the 125-pounder is still gleaning knowledge from him and both are growing together heading into this event.

His opponent Dominick Carey is also having his second BKFC bout here and comes in with an amateur MMA background. Both actually debuted with the organization on the same card at BKFC 50 last September.

BKFC

BKFC Prospect Series: Denver

The man with the nickname ‘Legend’ was taught a lot about the sweet science from his dad early on. Strode revealed he actually lost his first nine amateur fights when he was little. But his dad kept him on the path when he was about to quit the sport.

Andrew Strode used to train with guys like Teofimo Lopez, Rolly Romero, Devin Haney. He has old pictures with Gervonta Davis and Floyd Mayweather with a popular video online of Strode hitting pads out in Las Vegas circa 2018 with Floyd Mayweather Sr.

The adversities Strode faced outside the ring cast a giant shadow over those that he ahs faced inside of the ring. Andrew Strode had his son and his ex pass away and the trauma caused him to almost stop boxing altogether. He realized they wouldn’t want him to stop though and the BKFC opportunity gave Strode something to sink his teeth into so as to bounce back from that awful situation.

Now revitalized in many regards with a kid on the way and inspiring many in a tough situation to achieve great things amid near unfathomable difficulty, this great story continues. The next chapter in the Andrew Strode tale unfurls this Friday under the bright lights of BKFC.

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