MANILA, Philippines -- Brandon Vera came home triumphant with an emphatic first round knockout win against URCC heavyweight champion Igor Subura of Ukraine in the co-main event of the ONE FC: Warrior's Way before a proud home crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Vera, born to a Filipino father and Italian-American mother but was raised by a Filipina stepmother, was nervous leading to his first fight in his native land Philippines. He settled down once he heard the song "I'm Coming Home" during his entrance.
Vera initiated the fight early on tagging Subora with several blows to the head. The Ukrainian champion based in Manila fought back and almost hurt the former UFC star with his signature punches. But the superior skills of Vera started to expose Subora's weakness.
The end came in the 3:54 mark of the first round with Vera finding an opening to Subora's defense. He smacked Subora with a vicious straight left that sent him crashing down and went for the kill with several soccer kicks to the head forcing the referee to step in and stopped the fight.
On a comeback trail after losing his last two fights in UFC, Vera was heavily pressured to win impressively before his home crowd.
"You know I was really nervous but when I heard the song "I'm Coming Home", it was the perfect song for me. It's my first time to fight here and maraming salamat sa inyong lahat na pumunta rito, to all my friends, my family, thank you so much," said an ecstatic Vera during the post-fight interview.
"Igor punches hard but I caught him with a left straight," he added.
The 37-year old Vera, who signed with ONE FC after failing to come to terms with an extension deal with UFC, plans to finish his career in the Asia's largest MMA organization and win the inaugural heavyweight title.
"I'm going to climb that ladder. Take on all the challenges and get that ONE FC belt," was Vera's straight forward answer when asked what's next for him after his explosive debut in Asia.
It was a 4-3 finish for Phl fighters with Jujeath Nagaowa, Ana Julaton and Kevin Belingon also delivering big wins while Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario and Rene Catalan fell through.