UFC Vet Brandon Vera to Make ONE FC Promotional Debut at Warrior's Way in December
ONE FC: Warrior's Way on Wednesday was confirmed for Dec. 5 at the Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines. It will feature the promotional debut of UFC veteran Brandon Vera, who will be fighting against an as yet unnamed heavyweight opponent.
Vera (12-7-1) was released by the UFC earlier this year and promptly snapped up by Asia’s biggest MMA promotion. He began his career as a heavyweight and told reporters at a press event in Manila on Wednesday that he would no longer be competing at 205 pounds.
Although he was born in the U.S., the 37-year-old’s father is Filipino and he has always wanted to fight in Manila. The opportunity never arose during a 16-fight stint in the UFC, which lasted from 2005 until 2013, but Vera did build a large fan following in the country during this time.
Possible opponents for him in ONE FC’s heavyweight division include undefeated English fighter Chi Lewis Parry (6-0-0-1), Canadian Taiwanese prospect Paul Cheng (5-1), Australia’s Chris Lokteff (12-2), and Bellator veteran Tony Johnson Jr. (7-2).
Another possibility for Vera is a bout with fellow UFC veteran James McSweeney (14-11), who is coming off back-to-back knockout wins for ONE FC and is comfortable competing at either heavyweight or 205 pounds.
At the time of publication, no match-ups are confirmed for ONE FC: Warrior's Way, but Filipino featherweight Eric Kelly (11-1) is in line for a title shot and could well find himself facing reigning champion Jadamba Narantungalag (10-3) on this card.
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