Brandon Vera officially retired from MMA after a first-round loss at ONE Championship 164.
Vera has ended his career after 26 professional fights. ‘The Truth’ returned to the Circle for the first time since May 2021 on Saturday, December 3. The 45-year-old was planning to retire if he lost, which unfortunately happened in the first round against Amir Aliakbari. During Vera’s post-fight interview in the Circle, he announced his retirement by saying:
“You just witnessed the truth’s very last fight in MMA. I wish I could’ve went out on a win. I broke my d**n hand again… I love you all. Thank you for everything you’ve given me MMA, ONE Championship. I’ll be around… To all my fans around the world, even though I’m not in here, you’ll see me on the big screen. We just signed a ten-movie deal here in the Philippines.”
Vera’s loss at ONE 164 was his third consecutive since holding the ONE heavyweight title. Although ‘The Truth’ is retiring, he also announced a new deal offering him ten movie roles in the Philippines. The Virginia native retired with a record of 16-10.
Watch Brandon Vera’s retirement speech below:
Looking back on the MMA career of Brandon Vera
Brandon Vera’s MMA career featured several streaks of highs and lows. According to Tapology, he made his pro-MMA debut in 2002, but more fights could have occurred unsanctioned. ‘The Truth’ started his career 8-0, including wins over UFC fighters Frank Mir and Fabiano Scherner.
RT this if you want to see Frank Mir rematch Brandon Vera in @ONEChampionship #UFC65 pic.twitter.com/EFErCSP6ER
— 🇧🇷 (@RMH_MMA) October 14, 2021
After being labeled the future early in his career, Vera was unable to string together enough wins to become a UFC champion. ‘The Truth’ had a streaky UFC tenure but fought the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Jon Jones, Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Keith Jardine, and Shogun Rua. He ended up parting ways with the UFC in 2014.
Vera then signed with ONE Championship, and the MMA community didn’t know what to expect. He ended up rejuvenating his career with four consecutive first-round KO/TKOs. ‘The Truth’ defended the ONE heavyweight title twice before losing three straight fights, ending with the ONE 164 loss against Amir Aliakbari. The Virginia native has plenty to be proud of after a phenomenal career filled with memories.
Flash🔙 to Brandon Vera's first ONE Heavyweight World Title defense against the hulking Hideki Sekine! @Verafied #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/7ug9mXc1yg
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) December 20, 2021
