Sawyer Depee doesn’t mind facing adversity in the boxing ring. When Depee, who is ranked fourth in the Bare Knuckle Fight Championship’s cruiserweight division, was asked to take on an unranked contender in that person’s hometown, it wasn’t a big deal. Depee had been called on to fill the role of gatekeeper before.

But the BKFC won’t be able to utilize Depee in that role for much longer. Depee’s performance at the Denver BKFC Prospect Series shows that he deserves more opportunities. Online boxing news shows that Depee won his third straight fight Friday night to improve to 5-2 in the BKFC by knocking out Keegan Vandermeer in the first round.

Vandermeer was hoping for a much different result. This was Vandermeer’s second shot at a ranked opponent. During his first opportunity, Vandermeer struggled before being knocked out in the second round. Depee made sure he didn’t get out of the first this time around.

Depee was patient and strung together punches to earn a stoppage just 93 seconds into the fight. After the fight, Depee told the fans in attendance at the National Western Center that he was ready for his chance to climb the ladder.

While several other fighters ranked above him are waiting for the same call to fight for the belt, Depee earned his spot in line.

“I want to go for the belt,” Depee said. “That’s what we’re for. That’s what we’re chasing, and I want it.”

Depee has been waiting for his spot in line to be clear for a while. He didn’t come into the BKFC with much fanfare, as he compiled a 1-2 record in amateur MMA fights. There isn’t any record of Depee competing in traditional gloved boxing matches. However, Deepe’s passion for combat sports is well known now. Is that enough to push him to the top?

Time will be what will be next for the Montana native.

Debuting Local Fighter Pleases Crowd

Josh Huber never quite escaped the regional scene during his time in professional MMA. The Denver-based welterweight was 24-13 as a professional, but lost his last three fights. People looking at the MMA latest updates will see Huber make a transition to bare-knuckle boxing proved to be a wise one.

Huber introduced himself to the BKFC by handing fellow Colorado resident Andrew Yates his first loss in the promotion. Yates, who fell to 2-1 with the defeat, has a strong background in kickboxing. However, that experience couldn’t help Yates keep up with Huber.

Huber sent Yates to the canvas consistently throughout the fight. Huber knocked Yates down five times during his fourth-round TKO win.

“I really have to thank my opponent for the opportunity. I wanted to take on a tough guy in my debut, so this feels amazing,” Huber said. “I think I have the perfect style for BKFC. I hit hard; I have a good chin. I’m one of the younger guys on the card, so I think I’ve got a bright future, and I’m ready to go.”

Robb Takes Another Defeat

Cassie Robb’s heart and passion for combat sports are undeniable. But Robb’s abilities show that she likely isn’t built to fight professionally. Robb took her fourth consecutive defeat in the promotion when she was knocked out by Cristina Crist in the second round.

Robb was 2-11 during her MMA career, which was highlighted by being the lone professional competitor of UFC broadcaster Laura Sanko. Robb hasn’t won a professional fight in any sport since 2011. She has lost 12 consecutive fights. Crist didn’t mind the boost in confidence. She improved to 1-2 in the promotion.

Schulte Shows No Mercy

Every fighter must respect fighters who step in to fight on short notice. But no already scheduled person wants to lose to someone who didn’t have a training camp to prepare. Denver-area featherweight Dylan Schulte had that thought process before he fought replacement fighter Roberto Armas.

Armas took the fight earlier this week to help the promotion fill out the fight card. But Armas wasn’t prepared to handle what Schulte had to offer. That showed in the fight as Armas caught Schulte early and earned a 32-second TKO victory.

Sayers Makes Quick Work of Opponent

Lumumba Sayers wanted to impress all of his family and friends who were in attendance. Hopefully, anyone who came to see the fight made it to their seats on time. Sayers debuted with a wild, 12-second win over Jeremy Morrison in a light heavyweight fight, according to recent boxing news.

It was also the debut fight for Morrison. This was a wild night of finishes, even by BKFC standards. The Sayers’ knockout win came on a night when all of the fights were decided by KO or TKO. Usually, a fight or two will sneak to a decision, but it was an all-action fight card in Colorado.

Findley Keeps the Pressure On

Derrick Findley had to figure that if he continued to put Sergio Lopez on his backside, Lopez would stop fighting. Findley has to put in the work to make sure that his opponent stays down for good. Dealing with difficult opponents is something Findley had become accustomed to.

Before beating Lopez, Findley lost his first three fights in BKFC. During the fight with Lopez, Findley needed to utilize three knockdowns to bring a stoppage to the fight. Findley finally stopped Lopez 57 seconds into the third round. Lopez, who was making his debut, will have to adjust to keep getting opportunities to fight.

Here’s a look at the rest of the fights not mentioned above:

• Middleweight, Zeb Vincent win by TKO over Casey Moses, Round 3 2:00
• Cruiserweight, Joseph Creer win by TKO over Danny Mitchell, Round 2 1:08
• Middleweight, Matt Maestas win by TKO over Jessie Stalder, Round 1 :44
• Lightweight, Ramiro Figueroa win by TKO over Brett Hudson, Round 2 2:00

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.