Following a hand injury that sidelined him for several months, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) parted ways with longtime heavyweight and light heavyweight mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Brandon Vera.
No hard feelings on either side.
But now that Vera (12-7, 1 NC) has found a new place to ply his trade, starting with a heavyweight bangfest against Igor Subora at ONE FC 23 on Friday (Dec. 5, 2014) in the Philippines, "The Truth" insists he wasn't treated with the respect he felt was coming to him after so many years in the fight game.
From his conversation with MMA Fighting:
"It wasn't handled the way it should be. I was a loyal employee, never did anything incorrectly. Never beat up my wife. Never had a DUI. The respect wasn't there. I had no interest in UFC anymore at all. It worked out 100 percent in my favor. We do it for the money. We do it for the fame. Some guys do it for the girls. Everybody has their own reason for doing it. One thing all fighters can agree about is respect. Chances, money, and women is not respect. That comes with the business. Respect is its own self."
Time for a fresh start.
Vera, 36, was at one time considered a future champion, racking up eight straight wins and finishing off former UFC heavyweight kingpin Frank Mir. But after a perfect 8-0 start to his combat sports career, "The Truth" has gone just 4-7 with one no contest and has struggled to stay healthy.
But he certainly looks the part.