Former ONE heavyweight world champion Brandon Vera will make his much-awaited return to the circle at ONE 164. In front of his home crowd in Manila, Philippines, 'The Truth' will face Iranian wrestling powerhouse Amir Aliakbari.
Brandon Vera was last seen inside the circle in back-to-back losses, the last being a world title-losing bout against current ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar.
Not to be deterred, the 45-year-old Filipino-American MMA icon is motivated to get back in the winning column as he holds himself to a high standard.
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'The Truth' told The MMA Super-fan on YouTube:
"I’ve been fighting for my family, been fighting for myself for a long time. [It’s been] more than 20 years. I won’t lower my standard of how my career has been. I won’t allow myself to lose three times, you know."
Vera further explained:
"That’s the standard that we should keep for a champ, and if I don’t make that score, I need to move on to the next part of my life that’s already been in the mix since I went to the Philippines in 2016."
From his words alone, it seems like Brandon Vera has strong emotions coming into his much-awaited return to action - and rightfully so. He will be performing in front of his compatriots while a lot of things are at stake.
We can't wait to see him shine under the bright lights.
Watch the full interview here:
Brandon Vera prefers to strike with Amir Aliakbari at ONE 164
Facing former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion Amir Aliakbari, Brandon Vera is expected to play to his own strengths, which is striking. Though he has a strong background in amateur wrestling, 'The Truth' uses his supreme striking skills to knock out even the most formidable strikers, including former world champions.
With that said, most are sure he will lean heavily on this facet of his game against Aliakbari.
Vera said:
“I absolutely love the ground. During my career I haven’t really shown too much on the ground, I haven’t really got to do very much. I just haven’t been a fan of groundwork in MMA. I’ve always wanted to be standing and people argue, ‘Why don’t you just kickbox?’ Man, because if somebody rings my bell, I wanna have options. At least give me an option.”
In the most fundamental sense, MMA is a game of options. It's about choosing the best path to victory and knowing when to shift directions depending on where the fight goes.