“He has the resources to do it” - Aung La Nsang believes Brandon Vera primed for another world title run

Aung La Nsang and Brandon Vera are more than just two former world champions who train together. The Sanford MMA representatives consider themselves close friends and have forged a unique relationship over the years.

The two battled each other to the brink of exhaustion in October 2019 for Aung La Nsang’s ONE light heavyweight world title. La Nsang ended up winning that fight via a second-round technical knockout.

Last year, Vera moved his camp from the Philippines to join La Nsang in South Florida. In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Aung La Nsang shared his thoughts on what it's like having the Filipino-American MMA legend as a training partner:

“For sure, I was a fan of his. I'm a fan of a lot of my training partners. And for me, Brandon Vera was one of the Asian pioneers for mixed martial arts. I was always a big fan of his, and I always rooted for him whenever he competed. And so to be able to train with him is an honor for me.”

Furthermore, La Nsang’s relationship with Vera extends beyond the gym:

“He's come over to my house to have dinner together and stuff like that. He's a guy who I can always call and say what's up. Vice-versa, he can always call me if he needs anything... We have a very, very good relationship.”

Brandon Vera has since lost his ONE heavyweight world title, succumbing to Indo-Canadian star Arjan Singh Bhullar. According to the Burmese fighter, the 44-year-old Vera still has what it takes to make another meaningful run at a world championship:

“It depends on him... Like George Foreman, he was in his 40s and he won the heavyweight world title so of course, it's possible... [Brandon Vera] has the skill set. He has the know-how, and he has the resources to do it. It's all up to him.”

---

What Aung La Nsang learned from training with Brandon Vera

Brandon Vera isn’t the only one who has benefited from this unlikely partnership. Aung La Nsang has also learned a thing or two from the veteran fighter.

'The Burmese Python' explained that watching Vera train has shown him how to take care of his body better:

“I know that sometimes I'm a workhorse and sometimes I overwork myself. And with Brandon Vera, I learned to almost purposely have to take rest and purposely take care of my body a little bit better. If I was going to take away something, I should take away that in order to do what he does, I have to invest in myself to be a better athlete and be better at my recovery and my rest.”