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Brandon Vera has not fought in ONE Championship since May, but the former heavyweight champion is already getting fight offers.
One of them came from Kang Ji Won, who was recently interviewed by the South China Morning Post. 'The Mighty Warrior' took a little jab at Vera and said that the Filipino fighter is not as intimidating as he used to be.
"The next one on my list would be Brandon Vera, he’s a former champion," said Kang. "But right now looking at him, I believe that he’s old. He came from the UFC but now I don’t think he’s the same anymore. I really think that I have a good chance in that fight."
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Check out his interview below:
The South Korean fighter already has two fights in ONE Championship and has stayed undefeated in five professional bouts.
He won his debut fight against Mehdi Barghi and followed it up with a victory over Amir Aliakbari a month later. Both fights ended in devastating knockouts.
Meanwhile, Vera has lost his last two fights in ONE Championship. 'The Truth' lost to Aung La Nsang in their super bout in October 2019. He returned to defend the heavyweight championship in May 2021 but was knocked out by Arjan Bhullar in the second round.
Kang Ji Won called out by ONE heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar
Kang was surprised he was called out by Arjan Bhallar just moments after the Indian-Canadian beat Vera for the heavyweight title. The South Korean thought it was an unusual gesture from the champion.
“As soon as he [Arjan Bhallar] became the champion, right there in that circle, in the post-fight interview, he called me out. I didn’t call him out, he called me out. I think that’s enough reason for me to get a title shot,” Kang said. “If you see the whole flow of MMA, champions don’t usually call out challengers, it’s the other way around. Challengers usually call out the champions because they want that opportunity. But for me, it was the champion who was calling me out, so I think I deserve the next shot.”
Prior to facing Vera, Bhullar made his debut in ONE Championship in October 2019 against Mauro Cerilli. He defeated his opponent via unanimous decision.
