Prospect in the Spotlight (July 14-15): Kris Vereen

Introduction

Saturday, July 15th, American welterweight prospect Kris Vereen will be in action for Peak Fighting, where he will be looking continue his undefeated ways against Evan Cutts. He will be looking for another win, as Vereen looks to eventually make his way to the UFC. He represents Genesis BJJ, a lesser-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Jiu-Jitsu: Vereen is a grappler-first fighter, which is evident in the cage. He likes to look to get to the ground early and often, where he can work his technical jiu-jitsu style and look to work for a submission win. He would have seven submission wins, though it’s only technically five since two were overturned to no contests. He also has two TKO wins, though his ground-and-pound isn’t as skillful as his submission arsenal.

Athleticism: In addition to being a great jiu-jitsu practitioner, Vereen is a good natural athete with physical strength, explosiveness, and agility. He uses these athletic skills on both the feet and ground, which is helpful when using his techniques. It also makes him more evasive and harder to manhandle in close quarters.

Needs Improvement

Strength of Schedule: Vereen’s striking is not as good as his jiu-jitsu, but it’s not bad. The thing I need to see from him, which his current opponent will represent, is a notable opponent to test his current skill level. His opponent’s combined record is 28-27, which is not very good. To really gauge Vereen’s ability if he were to step to the next level, he needs to fighter better opponents. Evan Cutts represents that step up in competition.

Outlook

Regional Featured Fighter: Vereen is clearly a guy with skills that has potential. The problem is that he’s 34 years old, so he’s getting up there in age for a sport like MMA. That makes his path to the UFC more difficult, as they tend not to stray toward older fighters like Vereen. So my guess is he will continue to be a featured name on the regional scene and could make appearances on the more high-end regional promotions like LFA or Fury. His fight against Evan Cutts will be interesting, as Cutts has been around for a while and has fought at a higher level than Vereen.