Brandon Vera has fought plenty of legends in MMA, but there are two fights he would have loved before he retired.
Vera (16-10-1) hung up his gloves after he was stopped in the first round by Amir Aliakbari at ONE Championship 164 earlier this month in the Philippines.
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From Fabricio Werdum to Jon Jones to Frank Mir, the 45-year-old Filipino-American has fought a who’s-who in MMA. But if he had a wishlist, Andrei Arlovski and Fedor Emelianenko’s names would be on it.
“There’s two fighters that I wish I would have shared and sweat with and go to work with,” Vera told MMA Junkie Radio. “One would have been Andrei Arlovski, and then the other one would have been Fedor in his prime. Those two would have been on my list.”
Vera departed the sport with three straight losses for the only time in his career. The former ONE heavyweight champion and WEC heavyweight grand prix winner said fighting has taken a serious toll on his body, which prompted his decision to retire.
“For me, it was time,” Vera said. “I went 0-3. Amir got that finish. I broke my damn hand again. I’m tired of having injuries. I’m tired of having broken bones. I’m tired of that part of the sacrifice for this sport. I’m willing to do all the other sacrifices, but not being able to use my body the way I want – I think I’m over that hump now.”
