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Former ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera is making his first appearance since losing his title, and ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong is surprised by his willingness to face Iran's Amir Aliakbari.
Coming off back-to-back losses, many would've expected Vera to take a fight that's more suited to his fighting style. However, he's accepted a match against someone who poses a specific set of challenges for the former champ.
Sityodtong admitted to being surprised by Vera in an interview with CNN Sports Desk:
"But this is a very tough test. It's a very stiff test. I'm actually surprised, it just shows you how much courage, how much belief he has to accept this fight. After his last fight, he just comes in, and you know, Amir Aliakbari is a very dangerous boy. He's got dynamite in his hand."
Aliakbari is just 1-2 under ONE's banner, but it's important to note that the 34-year-old amassed a 5-1 record in RIZIN before signing with Asia's biggest promotion.
Chatri Sityodtong believes ONE's U.S. audience will grow
ONE's deal to broadcast its flagship events on Amazon was a big step in growing the brand internationally. Chatri Sityodtong told The MMA Superfan:
“When fans around the world have not seen ONE, it will be very eye-opening, and you will truly see the world's greatest world champion martial artists, full stop, in any discipline. Our numbers are growing exponentially, across every metric, across every platform, and in all these new countries.”
Chatri Sityodtong continued:
“So again, we're at the very beginning of our US journey, literally, day one. I have tremendous faith in the Amazon partnership, and what we're doing, and we're only going to get bigger and better and bolder and badder as I said, even in the US.”
The handful of ONE on Prime Video events that have taken place thus far have all been stacked cards. Fans in North America can rest easy knowing that ONE Championship's deal with Amazon extends five years into the future.
Make sure to watch Brandon Vera take on Amir Aliakbari in a heavyweight matchup at ONE Championship 164 on December 3, live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Check out Chatri Sityodtong's full interview with The MMA Superfan below:
