Brandon Vera
 |
Name | Brandon Vera |
| Nickname | The Truth | |
| Association | Alliance MMA / City Boxing | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight / Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) | |
| Height | 6' 2" (188 cm.) | |
| Style | Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | |
| Birth Date | October 10, 1977 | |
| Fighting Out Of | San Diego, California, USA | |
| Country | USA | |
| Brandon Vera Pictures | Brandon Vera's Official Site |
Brandon Michael Vera a.k.a Brandon "The Truth" Vera is an American mixed martial artist of Filipino descent who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He first competed as a heavyweight, but moved down to light heavyweight, where he currently competes.
Brandon is married to female mixed martial artist Kerry Vera.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 12 - 6 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) (1 NC) |
| Wins | 7 (T)KOs 1 Submissions 4 Decisions |
| Losses | 3 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 3 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Mauricio Rua | TKO (Punches) | UFC on FOX 4: Shogun vs. Vera | 8/4/2012 | 4 | 4:09 | |
| Win | Eliot Marshall | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz | 10/29/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| NC | Thiago Silva | NC (Overturned by NSAC) | UFC 125: Resolution | 1/01/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Released by UFC following loss, but was later reinstated after Thiago Silva tested positive for a banned substance |
| Loss | Jon Jones | TKO (Elbows and Punches) | UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones | 3/21/2010 | 1 | 3:19 | |
| Loss | Randy Couture | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera | 11/14/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Krzysztof Soszynski | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira | 8/29/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Mike Patt | TKO (Leg Kicks) | UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine | 3/07/2009 | 2 | 1:27 | |
| Loss | Keith Jardine | Decision (Split) | UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben | 10/18/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Reese Andy | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 14: Silva vs. Irvin | 7/19/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Light Heavyweight debut |
| Loss | Fabricio Werdum | TKO (Punches) | UFC 85: Bedlam | 6/07/2008 | 1 | 4:40 | |
| Loss | Tim Sylvia | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 77: Hostile Territory | 10/20/2007 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Frank Mir | TKO (Punches) | UFC 65: Bad Intentions | 11/18/2006 | 1 | 1:09 | |
| Win | Assuerio Silva | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie | 5/27/2006 | 1 | 2:39 | |
| Win | Justin Eilers | KO (Head Kick and Knee) | UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 | 2/04/2006 | 1 | 1:25 | |
| Win | Fabiano Scherner | TKO (Knees) | UFC Fight Night 2: Ultimate Fight Night 2 | 10/03/2005 | 2 | 3:22 | |
| Win | Mike Whitehead | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | WEC 13: Heavyweight Explosion | 1/22/2005 | 2 | 1:12 | Heavyweight Grand Prix Final |
| Win | Andre Mussi | KO (Knees and Punches) | WEC 13: Heavyweight Explosion | 1/22/2005 | 1 | 0:51 | Heavyweight Grand Prix Opening Round |
| Win | Don Richard | Decision (Unanimous) | NLF: Next Level Fighting | 9/13/2003 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Adam Rivera | TKO | EEFC 11: Excalibur Fighting 11 | 7/06/2002 | 1 | N/A | |
Biography
Vera is the son of a Filipino father, Ernesto, and an Italian-American mother, Amelia. He grew up in a family with seven boys and three girls. He was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended Lake Taylor High School where he excelled in wrestling and earned a four-year athletic scholarship to Old Dominion University. However, he dropped out of Old Dominion after a year and a half when he felt college was not for him, and enlisted himself in the United States Air Force.
In the Air Force, Vera joined the force's wrestling team and trained at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His military wrestling career was cut short in 1999 when he shredded ligaments in his right elbow. Arthroscopic surgery repaired the ligaments, but he had nerve damage from the experience, causing him to be unable to use his right arm. He was released from the Air Force on a medical discharge.
Vera returned to Virginia where he steadily rehabilitated his arm, and eventually was fit enough to enter the Grapplers Quest submission wrestling competitions on the East Coast. There, his solitary training methods (he did not belong to a camp, and trained and cut weight on his own) caught the attention of Lloyd Irvin, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and coach, who invited him to train with his school. At Irvin's school, he was introduced to mixed martial arts. He also trained with Linxx Academy, and Hybrid Academy, where he received a foundation of his Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Vera's first professional mixed martial arts bout was on July 6, 2002, while training under Lloyd Irvin. He won the fight, against Adam Rivera, via TKO in the first round. He fought and won another bout in 2004 before entering a World Extreme Cagefighting heavyweight tournament in 2005, where he won two bouts in one night, including a bout against The Ultimate Fighter 2's Mike Whitehead in the finals.
Vera moved to San Diego, California in New Year's eve of 2003 to accept a training position with City Boxing in San Diego. At City Boxing, Vera excelled as a trainer and was taken under the wing of City Boxing owner Mark Dion, who became his manager and introduced him to kickboxing great Rob Kaman. With Vera's success as a trainer and a mixed martial arts fighter, Dion gave Vera partial ownership of City Boxing.
UFC Career
Vera made his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2 on October 3, 2005 against Fabiano Scherner. Vera won the fight via KO mid-way through the second round. Following the Scherner bout, he faced Justin Eilers at UFC 57, winning early in the first round by knockout. At UFC 60, Vera defeated Assuerio Silva with a guillotine choke. On November 18, he needed just 69 seconds to stop former heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 65 in Sacramento, California.
White had been telling the media prior to UFC 65 that the winner of the Vera-Mir fight would face the winner of the Tim Sylvia-Jeff Monson bout, which was also being held that same night, for the championship.
In August, the UFC announced the "return" of Brandon Vera. His first fight was against Tim Sylvia at UFC 77. Vera lost for the first time via a unanimous decision. He also broke his left hand at 4:40 minutes into the first round.
Vera had his second loss at UFC 85 against Fabricio Werdum by TKO. The fight was controversially stopped by referee Dan Miragliotta as Werdum mounted him and did some ground and pound. After the stoppage, Vera was upset as he felt he was defending himself effectively.
Move to Light Heavyweight
After his two recent losses, Vera moved to the light heavyweight division, facing IFL alum Reese Andy at an impromptu UFC event, UFC Fight Night 14: Silva vs. Irvin on July 19, 2008 on Spike TV. He defeated Andy via unanimous decision. It was not a very impressive Light Heavyweight debut, as Vera seemed slow and the fight was not very entertaining. After the fight, in the post-fight interview, Vera made a comment to Joe Rogan that this was the first time he had made the weight cut and that maybe it had taken a bigger toll on him than he first expected.
Vera recently staged a public workout at the Mall of Asia, located in Pasay City, Philippines, which was attended by over 4,000 people. After a subsequent workout by Chuck Liddell received a similar response, UFC officials announced a UFC event would be brought to the Philippines in 2009.
Vera then lost his most recent fight to Keith Jardine at UFC 89 via unanimous decision.
Vera's next fight was set for March 7th at UFC 96: Jackson vs, Jardine, which was headlined by the fighter who last defeated him, against Mike Patt. Vera defeated Patt in the second round via TKO (Leg Kicks) at 1:27.
He was next scheduled to take on The Ultimate Fighter 3 contestant Matt Hamill, who was coming off two consecutive victories against Reese Andy and Mark Munoz, at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira, but an injury forced Hamill off the card. Hamill was replaced by another TUF alum, Krzysztof Soszynski. The fight lasted all three rounds, with Vera taking the unanimous decision.
Vera was next scheduled to headline UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera against former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. The bout will be Couture's return to the Light Heavyweight division, after competing as a Heavyweight - winning the Heavyweight title, defending it once, and then losing it to Brock Lesnar. Vera lost a close unanimous decision in a bout that Couture controlled the tempo of the bout through the clinch game.
He was next scheduled to face off against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, but when Nogueira was forced off the UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones card, Vera was quickly rescheduled to face Jon Jones. The event will be the first UFC event to air live on Versus, as compared to SpikeTV. Jones scored a quick and slick takedown and immediately unloaded a steady stream of ground and pound. Jones, in fact, was slowed only by an illegal upkick from Vera, which garnered the former top UFC heavyweight contender a one-point deduction and restart from the downed position. Jones immediately recommenced the attack after the restart and unloaded a big left elbow strike that clipped the corner of Vera's right eye with an audible thud. With the area immediately swelling and possible eye-socket damage, Vera was forced to cover up. The TKO stoppage came moments later when the referee waved off the fight at the 3:19 mark of the opening round.
Personal Life
Brandon's wife, Kerry, is a kickboxer and MMA fighter. She was featured on the second season of Oxygen's Fight Girls.
Vera has a tattoo on his back, inked in the Filipino writing system called Alibata. Clockwise, it reads mundo (earth), hangin (wind), apoy (fire), and tubig (water).
While staying in the Philippines, he trained Filipino actor, Richard Gutierrez, in martial arts and has been given a role as an assassin for Philippine primetime television show, Kamandag on the GMA Network.
In the latter part of his training for UFC 89, Vera was reportedly held at gun point by two men attempting to rob the house in which he was staying. Vera stated that the incident did not affect his performance versus Keith Jardine.
Ranks and Titles
- 2x Pan-American Champion
- Abu-Dhabi veteran
- 8x Grapplers Quest Champion
- W.K.A. Muay Thai National champion
- Lloyd Irvin Brown Belt
