ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera really had no plans to challenge two-division World Champion Aung La "The Burmese Python" N Sang.
It just so happens that “The Burmese Python” stands in the way of Vera achieving his longtime goal.
“The Truth” challenges the Burmese athlete for his ONE Light Heavyweight World Title in the main event of the historic ONE: CENTURY PART II on 13 October at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
For the 41-year-old Vera, he has nothing but love for Kachin State hero – but business has to be done.
“It just happened that the best person in the world in light heavyweight is Mr. Aung La [N Sang]. I didn’t want to, but he's the champ right now, so it was a love-hate kind of relationship that I had to do it,” Vera said.
“I'm not looking at the person in front of me – I’m looking at the greater goal.”
A win here for the Filipino-American superstar will put him in an exclusive circle of two-division World Champions in mixed martial arts.
As someone who has jumped between the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, Vera dreamed of this moment for a long time.
“Almost my entire martial arts career has been devoted to becoming a two-division champion,” Vera said. “That's how difficult it is to become one.”
“A [second] World Championship belt would put me in a different echelon that not many fighters ever get to accomplish nor get close to doing.”
“The Truth” is known as one of the fiercest competitors in The Home Of Martial Arts. And he cannot pass on the chance to prove to the world that he is not just the top dog in the heavyweight division, but that he can also conquer other weight classes.
“You're basically getting to say that you're the best in two divisions in the entire world. When you have something like that, now you get to start asking other athletes from around the world if they really think that they are the best,” the Alliance Training Center athlete said.
“Now you can start poking and prodding to make sure that you are the best in the world.”
How will the match between “The Truth” and “The Burmese Python” play out? Find out at ONE: CENTURY on 13 October at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
The Home Of Martial Arts brings fans 28 World Champions, four World Title bouts, three World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and four World Champion versus World Champion match-ups in the promotion’s two-part 100th event.
