'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
At ONE 164, Brandon Vera will make his highly anticipated return to competition. The former ONE heavyweight world champion has a tough fight on his hands in front of his home crowd in Manila.
ONE 164 is part of a huge double bill with ONE on Prime Video 5 in the promotion’s return to the Philippines.
After over a year and a half away from competition, Brandon Vera has focused on coming back in a big way. Part of that means going through a tough training camp and forcing himself to do things he wouldn’t usually do.
In an interview with The MMA Superfan, ‘The Truth’ spoke about his preparations for December 3:
“I don’t mind the strength part, if we’re just gonna lift weights I’m okay with that all day long. But man you gotta make me do sprints in the middle, I gotta do these crazy a** rope pulls, I gotta walk on my hands all that kind of stuff. I absolutely hate it, I just save that for camp.”
Watch the full interview below:
After losing back-to-back fights and his heavyweight world championship, Brandon Vera's return will be a huge occasion. Whilst he is taking on a dangerous opponent in Amir Aliakbari, 'The Truth' has had a lot of success when competing in Manila, scoring four consecutive first-round knockouts in front of his home fans.
“He's going to go to sleep one way or another” - Brandon Vera expects knockout finish over Amir Aliakbari
With a lot on the line for the former world champion at ONE 164, Brandon Vera is confident going into his return to competition. On December 3, ‘The Truth’ will meet Iranian wrestler Amir Aliakbari in a clash filled with bad blood.
In an interview with CNN Sports Desk where he previewed the fight, Vera spoke about expecting a knockout in front of his home crowd:
"Aliakbari is a big dangerous opponent. He's scary. But we've seen it in the past, you just have to touch him. And in this fight, whether it be five, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, what are the odds that I'm going to touch him on the chin? Ask yourself that, and know that he's going to go to sleep one way or another."
Brandon Vera is no stranger to sending his opponents to sleep, with 11 of his 16 professional wins coming via knockout. Between 2014 and 2018, he produced four consecutive first-round knockouts in Manila to become the heavyweight world champion and defended his crown twice.
He’s not the only competitor in this fight who has proven that he knows how to put his opponents away. Iran’s Amir Aliakbari is a decorated wrestler with a gold medal in the World Wrestling Championships. He also qualified for the Olympics but don’t let his wrestling fool you, he has finished eight of his 11 pro wins via KO.
