What’s next for Brandon Vera? He wants to run for Senate

MANILA, Philippines – Brandon Vera announced his intention to run for office after successfully defending the ONE Championship heavyweight title against Japanese Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Hideki Sekine on Friday Dec 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

“I would like to run for Senate,” Vera answered when asked about his plans after fighting. “I wanna run for senate 2019, I wanna help the people,” Vera added.

However, section 3, article IV of the Philippine constitution states that being a natural-born Filipino is required for any citizen who wishes to run for the Senate in the country. This prevents the California-native Vera from seeking a senate seat. 

Regarding his in-ring career, however, there are no definite challengers for Vera’s heavyweight title as of the moment.  

Vera stated that he is willing to face anyone. “Kahit sino,” (I would fight anyone) Vera said “Di ako mamimili,” (I won’t be choosy) he furthered. 

When asked about his thoughts on the fight, Vera said that he knew Sekine wanted to wrestle him down and he knew he had to avoid that.  

The reigning ONE heavyweight champion revealed that he did not notice breaking Sekine’s nose. “I did not even realize that I crushed his nose. Honestly, I was thinking ‘Holy shit! He almost took me down’,” explained the former Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) star. 

Vera clarified that his immediate priority is working with Filipina heartthrob Anne Curtis on a film which will begin shooting starting next Sunday, December 11. 

Vera also mentioned his interest for farming and laying low after retirement. The 39-year-old hinted that he plans to retire at age 40, but he followed up by saying that he does not think he is ready to retire yet. – Rappler.com