Reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera is deep in training, preparing for his next title defense.
The 43-year-old veteran is in Florida, working with fellow ONE Championship athletes “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang and Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen at Sanford MMA under renowned striking coach, Henri Hooft.
All three athletes have fights lined up over the next few months.
Nguyen will face dangerous featherweight “The Fighting God” Kim Jae Woong at ONE on TNT II. Meanwhile, N Sang looks to defend his ONE Light Heavyweight World title against longtime rival Vitaly Bigdash at ONE on TNT IV.
As for Vera, “The Truth” expects to face rising Indian heavyweight star Arjan “Singh” Bhullar in his next outing. The fight is all but set in stone, and is awaiting an official announcement from ONE Championship.
Vera and N Sang are former adversaries in the Circle. They fought last October 2019, when Vera challenged “The Burmese Python” for his light heavyweight belt.
Vera succumbed via second-round technical knockout in an action-packed affair, marking the Filipino-American’s first defeat in ONE Championship since joining the promotion in 2014.
When asked how Vera made his way to training at Sanford MMA, N Sang shared an entertaining tidbit, before expressing his excitement to see a former foe make a strong comeback.
“It was funny because he DM’d Martin [Nguyen] to see if I was okay (with it). Immediately we sent him a video message with me saying ‘You should be asking me, not him!” said N Sang.
“I’m a big fan of Brandon Vera. I’m just happy that he’s here with us. He’s in a camp that’s filled with killers. It’s only going to help him. It’s only going to make him a better champion, and a better mixed martial artist. I’m excited for him. He’s going to fight very soon.
“In the first week versus now, there’s a big difference. He can make it through two whole practices. I’m happy for him,” N Sang added.
If Vera can get past Bhullar, though, a plethora of worthy challengers await him.
ONE Championship made some huge heavyweight and light heavyweight signings over the past 12 months, bringing in the likes of Marcus Almeida, Tom DeBlass, Amir Aliakbari, and most recently grappling icon Gordon Ryan, among others.
“The Truth” certainly has his work cut out for him.
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