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Former ONE heavyweight world champion Brandon Vera is eager to put father time to shame in his comeback fight at ONE 164: Pacio vs Brooks.
‘The Truth’, who is coming off a year-and-a-half layoff, will look to get back on the winning track against the dangerous Amir Aliakbari. Their bout will go down on December 3 in front of the passionate Filipino fanbase inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
Brandon Vera has taken up several opportunities outside of the circle, which has kept him inactive in the fighting scene over the last few years.
This includes his budding acting career and business ventures, along with a possible foray into politics. As such, some critics can’t help but question if the now 45-year-old fighter still has the drive to compete.
In a recent interview with The MMA Superfan, Vera addressed these growing concerns and assured his fans that he’s been working his tail off for his upcoming fight with the bruising Iranian:
“I definitely won’t be out of shape in this fight. I’ve never done strength and conditioning this long. I’ve done it for so long now, it doesn’t hurt as bad anymore. I’m just playing coach; it sucks.”
All jokes aside, this pivotal match against Aliakbari will answer a lot of questions about Vera’s MMA career moving forward.
‘The Truth’ has acknowledged that he is close to sailing off into the sunset. However, he wants to leave the game on his own terms. Vera has been on a rough patch as of late, losing to Aung La N Sang and getting his world title snatched away by Arjan Bhullar in his last two outings.
We’ll see if Brandon Vera can turn back the clock and bring the entire Mall of Asia Arena crowd to its feet once more.
Brandon Vera opens up on his plans after fighting
While getting his hand raised against Aliakbari is the only thing that occupies Vera at the moment, he also talks about his future.
‘The Truth’ still has a lot to offer once he hangs up his gloves. Vera shared in the same interview with The MMA Superfan:
“I just signed a 10-film deal in the Philippines for the next five years so I’ll be doing two films a year, along with continuing to be the champ if we put Aliakbari away.”
He continued:
“On top of that a little bit more into the distant future, I’ve been asked to run for Senate in 2024. So, on the islands I’ve been asked this a long time ago where I would just always put it in the back pocket. We’ve been planning, we’ve been meeting, we’ve been traveling the world and meeting everybody. I think this is my moment for my life.”
Watch Brandon Vera’s full interview below:
