Fil-Am Brandon Vera joins ONE FC

MANILA, Philippines – After parting ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in June 2014, Filipino-American fighter Brandon Vera has directed his career-path to ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC).

ONE FC made the blockbuster announcement on Sunday, July 13 via microblogging site Twitter, confirming that Vera inked a multi-fight deal with Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. 

NEWS ALERT: MMA Superstar Brandon Vera has officially signed with ONE FC, Asia’s largest MMA organization. @Verafied @victoronefc

— ONE FC (@ONEFCMMA) July 13, 2014

However, other details and terms of Vera’s exclusive contract with ONE FC were not publicly disclosed.

Vera’s addition to the ONE FC heavyweight division will put an extra depth on a gritty lineup that includes James McSweeney, Tony Johnson, Paul Cheng, Chi Lewis Parry, Alain Ngalani and Chris Lokteff.

“The Truth” (12-7, 1 NC) last competed in August 2013 on the undercard of the UFC 164 pay-per-view event, where he was stopped by Ben Rothwell with a third-round technical knockout.

The 6-foot-2 Alliance MMA standout joined the UFC in October 2005 as a heavily-hyped heavyweight prospect, finishing seven of his eight opponents, including former UFC titleholder Frank Mir.

Vera was expected to vie for the UFC heavyweight strap after an 8-0 winning streak, but a yearlong contract dispute spoiled his plans for a championship opportunity.

By the time it was resolved, Vera was off his game and instantly dropped two disappointing setbacks to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum.

Vera then elected to move down to light heavyweight, but the outcomes were mixed as he came up short to notable names such as reigning light heavyweight king Jon Jones, MMA legend Randy Couture, one-time UFC champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Keith Jardine.

The last time Vera had his hand raised in victory inside the cage was when he outpointed Eliot Marshall at UFC 137 in October 2011. – Rappler.com