ONE Century: Healthy lifestyle has been key for 42-year old Brandon Vera - ABS-CBN News

ONE Century: Healthy lifestyle has been key for 42-year old Brandon Vera - ABS-CBN News

ONE Championship

Santino Honasan on Oct 12, 2019 12:23 PM

“I just live my life a certain way that is conducive to becoming a double-world champion." - Brandon Vera (Photo courtesy of ONE Championship)

Very few professional athletes get to compete well into their 40s. Even fewer get to compete at a high level at that age. 

At 42-years old however, Brandon Vera is about to face the biggest challenge of his career when he challenges Aung La N Sang for the ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship at ONE: Century this Sunday, October 13th at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. 

Vera, who turned 42 last October 10th, believes that him being able to compete at this level at his age is the product of how he has been able to take care of his well-being over the years. 

“I think it’s a testament of how I’ve been living my life. Most 40-year olds have diabetes, high-blood pressure, you name it,” Vera told the Filipino press during Thursday’s media availability session. “I don’t go out, I don’t go clubbing, I don’t drink, I don’t party, I don’t stay up all hours of the night - unless I’m playing video games sa bahay - I eat well, kahit lechon, tinatanggal ko yung balat at yung taba, kinakain ko lang yung karne.”

The Filipino-American star has the chance to realize a dream of becoming a two-division world champion on Sunday, and that goal is something he says he has been working towards for the last few years. 

“I just live my life a certain way that is conducive to becoming a double-world champion. I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’ve stepped it up more when I move to the Philippines, and as we get deeper and deeper into this sport of martial arts, with ONE Championship, it’s becoming easier. I don’t know why it’s becoming easier, it just is,” he added. 

Since coming to ONE, Vera hasn’t been as active as he used to be, only competing once a year. And while many people may criticize that kind of activity, Vera says that it’s all about self-preservation. 

“I’ve never, ever, ever hurt my body. I’ve never over-trained, if I have an injury, I didn’t inject myself or take pills and get right back in there. ‘Brandon, why do you only fight once a year, once every year and a half, two years?’ It’s because I take care of my body, I have to make sure that I’m okay. I ice, I heal, and then I take time. I don’t force stuff back, so even at the age of 42, which I laugh about because I only know that I’m 42 when people ask. If you ask me, and it wasn’t my birthday yesterday, iisipin ko pa kung anong edad ko, it’s crazy.”

With a professional career that has spanned 17 years and 24 matches, Vera is far from a rookie in the fight game, but he maintains that he has been able to keep himself in tip-top shape and he intends to keep going as long as he sees fit. 

“I never hurt my body before, so in this sport, if you look at it, I still have a young body. I don’t take damage, I’m not a ‘tough’ fighter. We will be, if we have to be, Pinoy naman eh, maninit naman dugo natin. But if I can move like Mayweather and punch you like Pacquiao, panalo! If I can kick you like me, we’ll just keep going.” 

“I’ll keep doing this as long as my body will let me. I absolutely love it,” he concluded. 

Sunday, Vera meets by far the most dangerous opponent he’s had in a while in Aung La on the main event of ONE: Century Part II.

2019-10-12 04:23:00Z
https://sports.abs-cbn.com/onechampionship/news/2019/10/12/healthy-lifestyle-key-42-year-old-brandon-vera-62017

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