Brandon Vera Excited With Possibility of Facing ‘Monster’ Buchecha in the ONE Circle

 

Brandon “The Truth” Vera, Filipino-American ONE Heavyweight World Champion

Brandon Vera Excited With Possibility of Facing ‘Monster’ Buchecha in the ONE Circle. Sharing with you a story about Filipino-American ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon "The Truth" Vera and his potential matchups in his division. Like always, the 42-year-old veteran is up for the toughest challenges.

Filipino-American ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera is spending much-needed quality time with his wife Jessica and newborn Atreyu Timothy in Guam amid the pandemic. But ONE Championship’s recent bolster of its heavyweight division has the reigning king enthusiastic about a handful of potential matchups.

One such matchup could possibly come against a recent signing. The promotion announced last week that it had added grappling legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida to its ranks. The Brazilian superstar is one of the most prolific Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors in the world and is widely considered a demigod in the grappling circles.

 

After hearing the news of Almeida’s signing, Vera says he felt extra motivated to get the right to work. One look at Almeida’s grocery list of achievements on the mats can make anyone starstruck. The number of gold medals and world championship he's won is blinding. 

“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. And it’s not just him. ONE signed a plethora of amazingly talented heavyweights. I’m going to train right now! 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. 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. 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. The level of competition has just increased exponentially. ONE Championship is making a very comfortable home for the big boys and giving me a lot of work to do. I’m looking forward to all of it.” ~Brandon “The Truth” Vera, Filipino-American ONE Heavyweight World Champion

Almeida has 128 victories and only 13 losses in his grappling career, and 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.”

Vera has held the ONE Heavyweight World Title since 2015 when he captured the inaugural belt with a knockout victory over Paul Cheng. Since then, Vera has defended the title successfully on two occasions, via first-round finishes over Hideki Sekine and Mauro Cerilli.

After a failed bid at light heavyweight against Aung La N Sang, Vera is excited to get back in the Circle and continue his reign of dominance in his natural weight class.

With the possibility of facing “Buchecha” down the line, Vera is confident his jiu-jitsu can hang with the world’s best, and that his overall skills will guide him through if he works hard enough.

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.

One thing is certain, ONE Championship’s heavyweight division is looking very deep right now, and Vera suddenly has a myriad of tough matchups he could possibly face in the Circle. At this stage in his career, Vera is rejuvenated. 

 

 



Joshua Pacio’s Lockdown Essentials are Strong Faith, Great Teammates, Man’s Best Friend



 

On many occasions, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has stated that he would never sign an athlete like Conor McGregor because he doesn’t embody the values of the company. In many respects, ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua Pacio is the polar opposite.

Pacio is a shining embodiment of the traditional martial arts values.

 

Nicknamed “The Passion,” Pacio is a man who relies firmly on his faith. In these times of uncertainty it’s something that he has turned to for reassurance.

“The important thing for me in this kind of situation is praying to God. He is the only one who knows what's going to happen, trusting in God in this kind of situation is important and of course we should trust Him not only in these situations but in good times or bad. My teammates inspire me every day, they are the reason why I'm a champion, they helped me get to where I am today, they motivate me in downtimes and help me realize what my mistakes are. The hardest part is that we can't go to the gym to train, that's why we find ways to train inside our homes. In the past years, we were lacking training equipment in the gym. This is not new to us, so we find ways to stay sharp. Luckily, I have punching mitts and manong (older brother) Kevin [Belingon] and I are in the same barangay (village) so we hold pads for each other. Actually, this pandemic taught me more on how to bond with my dog. And my dog is getting fat so I need to go run or jog with her. When I get older, I think we need to talk about getting up in a higher weight division. But for now, I have no intention of going up in weight classes because my teammates are in those weight classes. Honestly I’m not the guy who has a dream opponent. I just focus on improving every day and every bout. I am a champion and I need to prove that every time I step inside the Circle.” ~Joshua Pacio, ONE Strawweight World Champion

 



 

Pacio is part of a unique band of brothers at the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, Philippines. Remarkably, he is one of five athletes who have realized their dreams of becoming World Champions at ONE Championship.

 

Under the watchful eye of legendary coach Mark Sangiao, Pacio and his team combine a strong work ethic with deep-rooted values to achieve unprecedented success. They didn’t start out with any fancy equipment, but the strength of their collective mindset gave them everything they needed to succeed.

 

While the current COVID-19 situation is far from ideal for an elite martial arts world champion, Pacio’s experience as a member of Team Lakay has put him in good stead.

 

Having a teammate nearby is certainly helping Pacio stay sharp during the pandemic, but as fans have seen in his recent social media posts – one companion in particular, has become a mainstay of his daily routine.

 

While Pacio’s dog may have put on the pounds, he doesn’t intend to follow suit.

 

Pacio’s reservations about a jump to flyweight are understandable. ONE’s flyweight division really is packed with his brothers from Team Lakay. Geje Eustaquio is a former ONE Flyweight World Champion, and Danny Kingad was a finalist in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. Meanwhile, competing at his current weight seems to suit Pacio just fine, with his second reign as king of the strawweights producing some impressive results.

 

After winning the belt back from Yosuke Saruta in Manila in April 2019, the young star returned to his nation’s capital twice more to carve out a statement victory over veteran wushu world champion and fellow Filipino Rene Catalan in November, before going on to clinch a decision win over former strawweight titleholder Alex Silva in January.

 

Despite not having a bout booked for the first time in a long-time, the 24-year-old Pacio’s mindset seems sharper than ever as he looks to carve out an enduring legacy in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

 

ONE Championship’s martial arts values are integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion. In difficult times, it’s inspiring to see an individual who has such a strong grasp of what it means to incorporate them into daily life, whether it’s in or out of competition, or indeed, in the midst of a global pandemic.

 

But, judging by his work ethic, as well as the strength he draws from his faith, his teammates and indeed, his furry companion, Pacio has all the ingredients to flourish under any circumstance.