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Brandon Vera couldn’t have asked for a better return than his impending comeback this December in Manila.
The former ONE heavyweight world champion will make his way back to the circle to take on Amir Aliakbari at ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks. The event is set for December 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
During his interview with CNN Sports Desk, the Filipino slugger said he couldn’t help but get nostalgic for the event. Of the six fights he’s had in ONE Championship, Vera has fought four times in Manila, with all of those matches ending in him taking first-round knockout wins.
Brandon Vera said:
“I'm more than ecstatic to be coming back to Manila. This is reminiscent of my feelings from when ONE Championship first brought me out to Manila, and we held the first show at MOA [Mall of Asia] that I was part of. I am beyond excited, beyond ecstatic, I cannot wait for this event.”
Vera made his ONE Championship debut at ONE: Warrior’s Way in December 2014. The match saw him score a first-round knockout over Ukraine’s Igor Subora.
He then sent Paul Cheng into the nether realms in his second fight inside the circle to become the inaugural ONE heavyweight world champion at ONE: Spirit of Champions in December 2015.
‘The Truth’ would chalk up two successful defenses of the ONE heavyweight world championship, beating Hideki Sekine and Mauro Cerrili in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Brandon Vera part of stacked “Philippines versus the world” ONE 164 card
ONE 164 will be the promotion’s year-ending show. ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong aptly labeled the card as “Philippines versus the world” due to the prominent Filipino presence at the event.
The card will feature Joshua Pacio defending his ONE strawweight world title against Jarred Brooks in the main event.
Brandon Vera, meanwhile, takes a crack at Aliakbari, who’s talked all kinds of smack against him for a few years now.
In the same interview with CNN Sports Desk, Sityodtong said:
“You know, I'm so fired up. We haven't been to the Philippines in a few years due to COVID. And we've come back with a spectacular card. Essentially, the theme is the Philippines versus the world.”
Former ONE flyweight world champion Geje Eustaquio is set to take on China’s Hu Yong while bantamweight contender Jeremy Pacatiw faces Myanmar’s Tial Thang.
Jenelyn Olsim is also on the show and she’ll take on China’s Meng Bo.
