Filipino-American ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera is excited to face a recent addition to the roster of ONE Championship in grappling master, Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida.
Although Vera is currently in Guam, spending time with his wife and their newborn, he couldn’t help but express his excitement at the news that the promotion had acquired the Brazilian superstar to its ranks. Considered to be one of the most prolific Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors in the world, Almeida is now in Vera’s crosshairs.
“So I had to look up the proper name, because I only know that monster as Buchecha. He is a phenomenal athlete. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to possibly meet him in the ONE Circle,” said Vera in his statement. “And it’s not just him. ONE signed a plethora of amazingly talented heavyweights. I’m going to train right now!”
Almeida’s grappling career has been nothing but spectacular, with 128 victories and only 13 losses. Now, he’s making the shift to the Circle which has fans from both the grappling and mixed martial arts worlds excited.
Vera knows exactly the type of ‘monster’ he could be up against should he meet Almeida in the Circle. “The Truth” is all praises for “Buchecha.”
“I am very familiar with his grappling accolades. He has beaten the best in the world and at any given moment, at any weight, he is one of the top two grapplers in the world against anyone. I am very excited he is making the transition to MMA,” said Vera.
“I think it is the correct progression after you win 13 World Titles in grappling. There is no one else for you to beat there. Looking forward to watching him and maybe even competing against him.”
Vera has held the ONE Heavyweight World Title since 2015, when he won it in spectacular fashion, knocking out Paul Cheng. Since then, Vera has defended the title successfully on two occasions, via first-round finishes over Hideki Sekine and Mauro Cerilli.
With the possibility of facing “Buchecha” down the line, Vera is confident his jiu-jitsu is at par with the world’s elite, and that his overall skills will guide him through if he works hard enough.
“It’s a very welcome challenge. My grappling and jiu-jitsu lineage is full of schools of hard knocks, from Master Lloyd Irvin, to Dean Lister, to Andre Galvao, my catch-wrestling coach Neil Melanson, and everyone in between. I’m very confident in my jiu-jitsu capabilities,” said Vera.
Though nothing has been finalized as of the moment, the Filipino-American is expected to make his next title defense against India’s Arjan Bhullar, another worthy name in the mix. That bout could come later this year, or in early 2021. (JNP)