Not in my house: Vera determined not to lose in PH

Brandon Vera. Photo from ONE Championship

There’s no way Brandon Vera is letting his Japanese foe Hideki Sekine take the title away from him in front of his hometown crowd.

“Bahay ko ito. Matatalo ka ba sa bahay mo? Hindi pwede. Mamamatay muna ako bago ako matalo (It’s my house. Will you lose in your house? That can’t be. I’ll die first before I lose.),” he said on Tuesday.

“There’s no way. I can’t let anybody beat me here in the Philippines,” he said.

Vera is set to defend his ONE Heavyweight Championship on Friday as headlines the stacked card at ONE Championship: Age of Domination at Mall of Asia Arena.

Returning to the site where he won the title last year, Vera shared that he’s more motivated than ever to showcase that Filipinos are truly on the rise when it comes to the sport of mixed martial arts.

“It’s an honor (to headline the card because) everybody’s becoming so well-rounded and so good. Everybody’s starting to step up their cardio, they’re pulling instructors from around the world to get better at takedowns, on the ground and on standup. It’s an honor to be fighting and headlining a show here in the Philippines again, especially with all the talent that we have,” he said.

The 39-year-old Vera also shared that he’s on the best shape he’s ever been, something which surprised even his trainers back in the United States after working out solo here in the country.

“I went back to San Diego to be with my training partners to find out if I’m really in shape. All of my
coaches and my training partners there were surprised and told me that I’m in better shape now than I’ve ever been and they don’t understand why since I was only halfway through camp. I was so nervous because I did everything I could, I put in 150-percent effort because I didn’t know if what I’m doing is right. But when they told me that I’m doing good, I just kept it going,” he said.

Vera, though, isn’t discounting the abilities of the undefeated Sekine, who has yet to drop a fight in his seven bouts.

“He’s a tough guy. He’s been undefeated for seven years in jiu-jitsu and he’s been undefeated in his MMA career. I’m expecting a hard fight, I’m expecting shots to be traded, but I’m expecting him to slip and get caught. I’m expecting him to push the pace and try to take me down, and I don’t expect him to be successful at the end of the night,” he said.

Clutching the belt tightly, Vera ended: “In my mind, I know I will take this (belt) home. This is for the Philippines. This is mine.”