The key? Teamwork makes the dream work.
“She (Nenja) made it so easy, I don’t even have to worry about being a new father. She makes it so that all I have to worry about is training,” said Vera, the ONE heavyweight champion. “She does all this while taking care of the baby and still getting me ready for all of the stuff we’re doing, from training to moving, to getting ready to go to the events. She takes care of all of it.
“The only thing I’ve ever really been doing on the regular, because I’m the early riser, I’m the one who wakes up first, is I take Atreyu out of the bed with me and I get to feed him and I get to play with him in the morning before practice, so that Nenja can sleep a bit longer. It’s kind of cool because I’m the early riser. Nenja likes to sleep in, so it’s absolutely perfect.”
Published May 8, 2021, 9:29 PM
ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera (in red sando) with team Sanford MMA (Photo from Brandon Vera’s Instagram account)
Under the tutelage of coach Henri Hooft, Vera had trained alongside ONE Championship stars and forrmer world champions Aung La N Sang and Martin Nguyen in preparation for his much-awaited comeback in the Circle.
“Making this move to Sanford MMA and making this commitment, it’s taken a lot of stress away from me as an athlete,” Vera, who holds a 16-8 record, told ONE Championship.
“I can just concentrate on being a student of the game and trying to catch up to everyone else in the room. I don’t have to worry about anything. I just have to make sure that I can finish practice and that I’m being a good training partner.”
“I am humbled and honored for Coach [Henri Hooft], [Aung La N Sang] and the whole group [Sanford MMA] for welcoming me into the fold,” said the 43-year-old Vera. “Iron sharpens Iron and during this #corona world it’s hard to find a fire burning hot enough, let alone them inviting you in [with] open arms.”
The names of Arjan Bhullar of India and Amir Aliakbari of Iran, two renowned wrestlers who signed with ONE Championship last year, and recent winners Mauro Cerilli of Italy and Oumar Kane of Senegal are on Vera’s radar.
Vera was scheduled to fight Bhullar last May at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City but was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.