“He’s making magic” - Brandon Vera says opportunity to fight ‘Buchecha’ would be a blessing

‘The Truth’ Brandon Vera has said that he would be ecstatic to cross paths with legendary grappler Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida in a potential heavyweight bout.

The Filipino-American icon is gearing up for his first heavyweight battle of the year following a devastating TKO loss against Arjan Bhullar at ONE: Dangal in May 2021.

Stoked to redeem himself after the fall, Vera hopes to overcome Amir Aliakbari at ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks on Saturday, December 3, to fast-track his way back to a world title.

In just a year, a lot of things have changed in the division while ‘The Truth’ was away. For one, the addition of Brazilian jiu-jitsu superstar Marcus Almeida to the heavyweight roster has sent massive shockwaves in the combat sports world.

Impressed by the Brazilian’s progress in MMA after dominating jiu-jitsu for as long as he did, Brandon Vera expressed a sincere desire to compete against him if the opportunity should arise.

The 45-year-old legend told The MMA Superfan:

“Buchecha would always be an amazing matchup. He’s jiu-jitsuing people with his eyes closed in MMA. He’s making magic. I would absolutely love to fight Buchecha if I ever got the chance, that would be a blessing as well.”

Catch Brandon Vera’s full response at the 20:15 minute mark below:

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Brandon Vera said he wouldn’t have it any other way than to fight Amir Aliakbari at ONE 164

Brandon Vera wants nothing more than to stage his comeback against trash-talking rival Amir Aliakbari on his home turf in Manila, Philippines.

When Vera was still holding the heavyweight belt in 2021, Aliakbari, a newcomer to the division, immediately set his eyes on the prize and called out the then-world champion for a shot at the title.

Before he could get there, the Iranian wrestler lost two fights in a row to Kang Ji Won and Anatoly Malykhin via first-round TKOs.

However, Aliakbari managed to bounce back this year after the skid, defeating Mauro Cerilli via knockout at ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II.

Brandon Vera expressed how it’s not a coincidence that Aliakbari is the opponent he needs to beat in order to stage his comeback.

In the same interview, he said:

“I’m very much looking forward to this, you know. See this is it, like this is it. And who better to find out right now than Aliakbari. You kidding me? [This] kid’s a monster and he wants it. He’s been asking for it.”