UFC Cuts Ties With Longtime Veteran Brandon Vera
In a day featuring a very surprising firing, one that won’t come as much of a surprise has been announced.
According to FOX Sports, longtime UFC veteran Brandon Vera is no longer under contract with Zuffa, signifying his release from the UFC after a nine-year rollercoaster ride of a career.
‘The Truth’ exploded into the Octagon with a TKO win over Fabiano Scherner at UFC Fight Night 2 in 2005, following it up with three straight finishes of Justin Eilers, Assuerio Silva, and Frank Mir to earn the moniker of the UFC’s hottest prospect.
But that massive potential was never realized, as Vera may have let fame get to his head. After a bitter contract dispute with the company in 2007, Vera returned to lose a unanimous decision to former champion Tim Sylvia at UFC 77, following it with a TKO loss to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85.
It appeared that ‘The Truth’s’ window of opportunity had been squandered in the pursuit of money, but he reinvented himself at light heavyweight. His results were not nearly as shining as they were at heavyweight, however, and he recorded a rather pedestrian 4-4(1) record at 205 pounds.
He would have been 4-5, but a UFC 125 loss to Thiago Silva was changed to a No Contest after the Brazilian slugger was found to have falsified his drug test. Vera received his release after the loss, but was brought back after Silva’s indiscretions came to light.
Vera’s last fight was a return to heavyweight at UFC 164 last August, where he lost via TKO to Ben Rothwell, who tested positive for elevated testosterone.
