ONE Championship heavyweight boxer Brandon Vera. – ONE CHAMPION
MANILA, Philippines—Brandon Vera announced her retirement on Saturday after 20 years of mixed martial arts.
Vera calls it a career after losing to Amir Aliakbar by TKO in the first round of their heavyweight clash in ONE 164 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Pasensya na. Kababayan, ang tagal ko nang ginagawa ‘to mga 20 plus years na (I’m sorry. To my fellow Filipinos, I’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s been more than 20 years),” Vera told the Filipino crowd. bronze.
“Etongayon (and now) you just witnessed The Truth’s final fight in MMA. I wish I could win,” added Vera, who also said she broke her arm during the match.
45-year-old Vera had a promising career in its heyday when he was in the UFC from 2005 to 2013, fighting the likes of Jon Jones and Randy Couture among others.
In 2014, Vera signed with ONE Championship, where he became the first heavyweight champion.
Vera has defended her title twice before lost to Arjan Bhullar by stopping last year.
Before the pandemic, Vera tried to be a double champion but lost to lightweight king Aung La N Sang in 2019.
“Thanks for all the love,” said Vera, who set the 16-10 record.
Vera, who has also become a movie star in the Philippines, left her gloves on the cage and carried her son outside to the cheers of “Vera” that captivated him.
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