Brandon Vera figures to have few regrets whenever he exits the cage for the final time.
The 44-year-old Norfolk, Virginia, native has been a multi-division success and excelled inside two of the most visible mixed martial arts organizations in the sport: One Championship and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, Vera now finds himself on a two-fight losing streak, his future muddied by both age and mileage. “The Truth” last competed at One Championship “Dangal” on April 28, 2021, when he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Arjan Singh Bhullar and surrendered the promotion’s undisputed heavyweight title.
As the MMA community awaits word on Vera’s next move, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his 20-year career:
Frank Mir
Vera announced his arrival as a serious threat in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division when he buried the former titleholder with punches in the first round of their UFC 65 showcase on Nov. 18, 2006 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. Mir succumbed to blows just 69 seconds into Round 1 before a crowd of 14,666. Vera staggered the Las Vegas native with a left hook, followed it with a right cross and created some real problems with a brutal knee strike from the clinch. Mir attacked the legs, only to be met with a textbook sprawl, his situation deteriorating by the second. Vera settled in side control, dropped elbows and ultimately moved to a kneeling position in half guard, at which he cut loose with right hands on the turtled Mir until referee Steve Mazzagatti had seen enough.
Fabricio Werdum
The two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist put away Vera with punches in the first round of their UFC 85 heavyweight attraction on June 7, 2008 at the O2 Arena in London. Werdum drew the curtain 4:40 into Round 1, as he became the first man to beat “The Truth” inside the distance. Vera stunned the longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a right hand midway through the period but failed to keep him at bay long enough to exploit the opening. Werdum executed a trip takedown, climbed to full mount and let punches fly from both hands. Vera managed to avoid physical harm but his inability to offer meaningful resistance from his back resulted in the stoppage. The setback led the Lloyd Irvin protégé to decide to downshift to 205 pounds.
Ben Rothwell
“Big Ben” spoiled Vera’s return to the heavyweight division, as he put away the Alliance MMA export with a hailstorm of knees and punches in the third round of their UFC 164 feature on Aug. 31, 2013 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Rothwell slammed the door 1:54 into Round 3. Vera circled and countered for much of the match, frustrating the monstrous Kenosha, Wisconsin, native with pace, movement and measured offense. Kicks to the legs and body were the primary weapons for “The Truth,” along with a few left hooks. Fed up with the pursuit, Rothwell dive-bombed the Greco-Roman wrestler in the third round, burying him with knees and punches for the finish. It marked the end of Vera’s 15-fight stay in the UFC, as he linked arms with the Singapore-based One Championship organization a little more than a year later.
Paul Cheng
Vera laid claim to the vacant One Championship heavyweight title when he knocked out the Taiwanese “Typhoon” in the first round of their “Spirit of Champions” headliner on Dec. 11, 2015 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. Cheng, who entered the cage on a four-fight winning streak, bowed out a mere 26 seconds into Round 1. The two men traded leg kicks at the start and engaged in a brief close-quarters exchange before moving into open space. Vera dropped Cheng to a knee with a left hook, floored him with a subsequent head kick and finished his supine counterpart with a pair of hammerfists. “The Truth” went on to defend the title on two occasions and enjoyed a historic 1,982-day reign atop the heavyweight division.
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