“He’s an inspiration” - Brandon Vera wants to follow in the footsteps of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

‘The Truth’ Brandon Vera hopes to follow Dwayne Johnson’s footsteps by eventually making the transition from a professional MMA fighter to a big Hollywood movie star.

‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnson is one of the most recognizable faces in the sports and movie industry today. A retired WWE wrestler, ‘The Rock’ has had a ridiculous amount of success on-screen with his charisma, talent, and penchant for action-packed thrillers such as 'The Scorpion King' and the 'Fast and Furious' franchise.

Drawing inspiration from Johnson’s experience, Brandon Vera credited ‘The Rock’ for motivating him to accept his first lead role in a post-apocalyptic thriller called 'Day Zero'.

Speaking to The MMA Superfan, the 45-year-old veteran said:

“He’s an inspiration for me to follow. He led the path on coming from the sports entertainment world straight into entertainment. He cut his teeth, he did cameos, he did extra roles, he did drivers. He was a driver in some movies. He did the extra parts, he cut hard. He worked at it, he perfected his craft, and he got into the industry.”

Vera continued:

“I’m trying to do the same. I was the champ, I wanna become the champ again, and then I wanna roll right into the movies. I absolutely enjoy doing films. It’s just like our mixed martial arts in the ways that it takes so much discipline, it takes so much dedication, so much time, and my most favorite part about it is it takes reps. You have to do it again and again, then again and again.”

Catch the full interview below:

Brandon Vera’s debut film 'Day Zero' is about an ex-soldier who escapes from prison during a zombie apocalypse to save his family.

The action-packed film just won Best Feature Film at the Obscura Filmfest 2022 and is definitely a must-watch. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video Philippines, Brandon Vera hopes fans notice all the hard work they’ve put into making this movie a huge success.

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Brandon Vera can’t wait to teach rising star Amir Aliakbari a lesson at ONE 164

Who said Brandon Vera is done fighting? The former heavyweight world champion returns to the global stage on a major fight card at ONE 164 on his home turf in Manila, Philippines.

He will take on rising heavyweight star Amir Aliakbari, who Vera, for one, is excited to teach a lesson to. Known for his trash talk, Aliakbari is already starting the mind games by calling the veteran out, saying he’s going to beat him so badly that his “face will not be recognizable by your fans.”

Brandon Vera had a very cool and collected response to that and warned the Iranian wrestler with the following words:

“Make sure you come in ready. I understand you’re good, I understand you’re a big guy, but make sure your mind is right because if you come in, I’m not playing games.”

The two heavyweights are set to collide at ONE 164 on Saturday, December 3 and it’s going to be a barnburner.

Watch Vera's interview with SCMP below: