Philippine Sports News and Updates

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Brandon “The Truth” Vera vowed to recover from his back-to-back losses in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), just days after he underwent surgery on his 3 broken bones in the face.

“Just relax. Take a vacation. Will let my face heal and then as soon as I can, I’m gonna be back in the cage, fighting again, climbing up that ladder for that title,” Vera addressed his fans during Balls Channel’s media teleconference on Monday (Sunday in the United States).

“Just because I’m down doesn’t mean we’re out. ‘Di pa ako tapos. We got a long time. We’re nowhere near done yet. Bahala sila,” added the Fil-Am fighter who has an 11-5 win-loss record.

He said he is doing okay after undergoing surgery on Thursday (Friday in Manila). Vera suffered the facial injury last March 21 in UFC Live: Vera vs Jones when his opponent’s elbow hit his face.

“It’s okay… It’s part of the game but I just expected to be on my feet more,” said Vera, who lost to Jones via technical knockout at 3:19 of Round 1 at the 1st Bank Center in Colorado.

He noted that he would have loved to continue fighting if only he blocked Jones’ elbow.

“As soon as the elbow landed, it broke 3 bones in my face… I’ve never been hit like that before,” he said. “It was a good shot. I should have paid more attention.”

The 32-year-old Vera was in the US during the teleconference while the Philippine media members were at the ABS-CBN ELJ Communications Center in Quezon City.

Meanwhile, Vera said he wants to start sparring again on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), but he would have to wait for 6 to 8 weeks before he can resume training.

As for the next step in his career, he made it clear that he will remain in the light heavyweight division: “Hindi, hindi. [I’m] Staying at 205 (lbs.).”

He also mentioned that he will not make any drastic changes in his game.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m probably gonna add more stuff but I’m probably not gonna change too much. It sucks losing but we’re doing alright. I’m getting better every fight. So we just gonna have to move forward and add more to it.”

Moreover, Vera talked about the number of fights left in his UFC contract: “I don't know if 3 or 4.” But he gave no word on his upcoming fights.

In the meantime, Vera will aim to have a speedy recovery from his injury. He said he will be going to the Philippines next month to visit family members and take a “business vacation.” He plans to stay in Manila for 6 or 7 days.

Vera was born in Norfolk, Virginia to Filipino father Ernesto and Italian-American mother Amelia. He is currently fighting out of San Diego, California.

• ABS-CBN News
• Philippine Sports Central