Brandon Vera retires from MMA after 20 years of competition
Brandon Vera announced his retirement from professional mixed martial arts competition on Saturday following a first-round TKO loss to Amir Aliakbar at ONE 164 at Mall of Asia Arena in the Manila, Philippines.
“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 20 plus years),” Vera said after the fight.
“Eto ngayon (and now) you just witness The Truth’s very last fight in MMA. I wish I could’ve come out with a win,” added Vera, who also said he broke his hand during the fight.
Vera, now 45-years-old, retires with a pro record of 16-10. His first took place 20 years ago in 2002.
He competed in the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight for the ONE Championship, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
“The Truth” fought in the UFC from 2005 to 2013 and competed against some of the promotion’s biggest talents including Jon Jones, Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Shogun Rua, Frank Mir, Fabricio Werdum, and more.
In 2014, Vera signed with ONE Championship where he became the inaugural heavyweight champion.
“Thank you for all the love,” Vera said.
Complete ONE 164 results below:
MAIN CARD
MMA – Strawweight: Jarred Brooks def. Joshua Pacio via Unanimous Decision
Muay Thai – Catchweight (138 lbs): Superlek Kiatmoo9 def. Panpayak Jitmuangnon via Split Decision
MMA – Heavyweight: Amir Aliakbari def. Brandon Vera via TKO at 3:37 of R1
MMA – Flyweight: Hu Yong def. Geje Eustaquio via KO at 4:43 of R1
MMA – Bantamweight: Jeremy Pacatiw def. Tial Thang via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:17 of R2
MMA – Bantamweight: Drex Zamboanga def. Adonis Sevilleno via Unanimous Decision
LEAD CARD
MMA – Catchweight (156.25 lbs): Jhanlo Mark Sangiao def. Anacleto Lauron via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:48 of R1
Muay Thai – Flyweight: Tagir Khalilov def. Chorfah Tor.Sangtiennoi via TKO at 2:29 of R1
Muay Thai – Atomweight: Lara Fernandez def. Dangkongfah Banchamek via Split Decision
MMA – Catchweight (130.75): Meng Bo def. Jenelyn Olsim via KO at 00:24 of R1
