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Who Is Your Favorite UFC Player?


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who knocked out couture?  baka naman si ricio pa iyon?  any light heavyweight who knocked out couture?

 

Couture got knocked out by chuck lidell during their 3rd meeting which happened last UFC 57 Feb 4

 

Chuck Liddell Wins by Knock Out at 1:28 in the 2nd round.

 

By the way there's this new guy in UFC named Brandon Vera who has Filipino roots... That's what I heard..

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re-posting from another site: PDI's interview with Vera

 

Finding purity in pugilism: Brandon Vera, Pinoy MMA golden boy

 

by Linus Tiu

 

 

“How much can you possibly know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?”

– Tyler Durden, Brad Pitt’s character in the movie Fight Club.

 

Throughout the ages, the quest to answer the simple yet severely perplexing question of “Who am I?” has spawned a battery of tests, theories and much existential tribulations. Indeed, from ivory tower philosophies to long journeys through the dessert to mind-altering substances, there is just no easy and proven way to “know thyself.”

 

Yet amid all the approaches, Durden’s preferred method seems to hit the search for the self right smack on the nose. Or at least it does for those crazy enough to get into a scrap for the sake of soul-searching.

 

Indeed, many a pugilist can attest to the character-illuminating highs that arise during a glorious tradeoff of punches and kicks. “Fighting strips away everything. There is a purity to it,” said Forrest Griffin, a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fighter, to Time magazine.

 

If that’s case, then consider our very own heavyweight UFC fighter Brandon Vera to know himself very, very well. Vera, who visited the Philippines late last October to see his family, is a half-Filipino, half-Italian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from the US. And he has dished out his share of beat downs: he is 5(wins)-0(losses) as a pro, 4-0 as an amateur, a World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion, a two-time Pan American Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Champion and a World Kickboxing a** National champion.

 

(MMA is combat sport that utilizes a mix of different disciplines like boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jujitsu and judo. Matches can be won by knockout, submission [opponent yields to a joint lock or choke] and judges’ decision. Fights are held either in a ring or an octagon cage).

 

Now it’s safe to say that despite Vera’s experience, his consciousness hasn’t risen to Durden’s lucid anarchic state – he hasn’t, after all, started stealing fat from cosmetic surgery clinics to make soap. Thank the good Lord.

 

Instead, Vera’s experience has been raising something else – his fight career. After toiling in the smaller promotions (e.g. WEC) in the States, the 6’2, 225-pounder’s blood, sweat and tears are starting to pay off now that he’s signed with the UFC. “I told everybody that within a year and half to two years,” he shares, “I’m going to be fighting in the big show. And after a year and ten months, I’m in the big show.”

 

In his debut fight last October on Ultimate Fight Night, the UFC’s pay-per-view show, he made quite an impact by defeating Brazilian Fabiano Scherner in 3:22 via technical knockout (TKO) in the first round.

 

Behind his big win, however, lies even bigger ambitions – and he’s not shy about letting the world know. At the post-fight interview, he declared his goal is to be the first UFC fighter to hold both heavyweight and light-heavyweight titles at the same time. He was then asked if he could knockout feared striker, Chuck Lidell, the current light-heavyweight champ. True to himself and his nickname, “The Truth,” he eagerly said that he could.

 

As you’d expect, Vera was criticized for his candidness. Some called him “cocky,” “arrogant” and a “trash talker.” So, is he? Maybe. Maybe his so-called critics have it all wrong. Maybe they should just get to know Vera more. “Mga kaibigan ko yan (‘The Truth’) ang tawag sa akin,” he states. “Kasi pag may tinanong ka sa akin, sasagutin kita ng deretso. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Walang B.S.”

 

And that’s exactly what the interviewer got. Because as Vera explained in a pinoymma.com forum, the question was a set-up since he doesn’t remember saying anything about knocking out Lidell. “Nobody is gonna punk me, especially on film,” he posted.

 

For the time being, it seems like no one will, whether it’s on TV or in the cage. Because with his balls-out work ethic and unflagging drive, Vera clearly has the makings of someone set to succeed. This is the kind of aura he exuded in his one-day free seminar here at the time of his visit.

 

As he taught a group of enthusiasts at UP Dilliman, he shared many techniques and tips. But he also shared his infectious passion for achieving his goal. “I really hope Brandon wins both belts,” said Rex Condenuevo, one of the participants at the seminar. “It psyches me up that I want to train harder and compete.”

 

However, beyond his quest for personal glory and love for the game, Vera says he also fights for another purpose: to bring recognition to the Philippines. “For me to able to represent the Filipino community in the UFC, it’s just so big for me,” he beams.

 

Despite only having been to the Philippines twice, Vera has an affinity for his Filipino roots and sensibilities. He speaks his native tongue with a colloquial flavor, adding “mehn!” at the end of his sentences. He also has that easygoing kind of camaraderie that can only be described as Pinoy. “Nakuha ko ‘yun Filipino values ko sa pamilya (paternal side) ko kasi lumaki rin ako sa extended na pamilya,” he explains

 

Yes, you could he say he’s so proud of his Filipino identity that he wears it on his sleeves. Or more specifically, back.

 

Taking up the real estate on his rather large back are his alibata (an ancient Filipino writing system that was extinguished by Western colonization) tattoos. The ink, which stands for the four elements of the earth, helps “keep me levelheaded,” Vera reveals. Not to mention, easy to notice when he’s in the cage.

 

After all, the man who can pass for a Vin Diesel look-alike sure knows the value of advertising – particularly when it comes to promoting his being Filipino, which he hopes could help out the local growing MMA scene. “If I can win both belts, make big waves and represent,” he says intently. “I think that would carry over here to the Philippines.”

 

Seeking to thwart his plans on February 4, 2006, however, is hard-hitter Justin Eilers whom Vera is set to face in the undercard bout of UFC 57. Once a contender for the heavyweight belt, Eilers is tough customer who says, “I like to knock people out.”

 

Not to worry, Vera is undeterred. You could even say he’s excited. “Yeah, it’s gonna be good one,” he wrote of the fight on pinoymma.com. “I'll stand with him ‘till he hits me hard, then we’re going to the ground.”

With fighting words like that, it’d be cliché to say “it’s going to be war.”

 

But it’s a prediction that holds much weight because for Vera, there is no truer calling than now, no finer moment to put it all on the line. After all, he believes: “It’s finally MY time to shine.”

 

And that is the mark of someone who knows himself well, inside and out.

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re-posting from another site: PDI's interview with Vera

 

Finding purity in pugilism: Brandon Vera, Pinoy MMA golden boy                                   

 

                                by Linus Tiu

“How much can you possibly know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?”

– Tyler Durden, Brad Pitt’s character in the movie Fight Club.

 

Throughout the ages, the quest to answer the simple yet severely perplexing question of “Who am I?” has spawned a battery of tests, theories and much existential tribulations. Indeed, from ivory tower philosophies to long journeys through the dessert to mind-altering substances, there is just no easy and proven way to “know thyself.”

 

Yet amid all the approaches, Durden’s preferred method seems to hit the search for the self right smack on the nose. Or at least it does for those crazy enough to get into a scrap for the sake of soul-searching.

 

Indeed, many a pugilist can attest to the character-illuminating highs that arise during a glorious tradeoff of punches and kicks. “Fighting strips away everything. There is a purity to it,” said Forrest Griffin, a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fighter, to Time magazine.

 

If that’s case, then consider our very own heavyweight UFC fighter Brandon Vera to know himself very, very well. Vera, who visited the Philippines late last October to see his family, is a half-Filipino, half-Italian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from the US. And he has dished out his share of beat downs: he is 5(wins)-0(losses) as a pro, 4-0 as an amateur, a World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion, a two-time Pan American Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Champion and a World Kickboxing a** National champion.

 

(MMA is combat sport that utilizes a mix of different disciplines like boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jujitsu and judo. Matches can be won by knockout, submission [opponent yields to a joint lock or choke] and judges’ decision. Fights are held either in a ring or an octagon cage).

 

Now it’s safe to say that despite Vera’s experience, his consciousness hasn’t risen to Durden’s lucid anarchic state – he hasn’t, after all, started stealing fat from cosmetic surgery clinics to make soap. Thank the good Lord.

 

Instead, Vera’s experience has been raising something else – his fight career. After toiling in the smaller promotions (e.g. WEC) in the States, the 6’2, 225-pounder’s blood, sweat and tears are starting to pay off now that he’s signed with the UFC. “I told everybody that within a year and half to two years,” he shares, “I’m going to be fighting in the big show. And after a year and ten months, I’m in the big show.”

 

In his debut fight last October on Ultimate Fight Night, the UFC’s pay-per-view show, he made quite an impact by defeating Brazilian Fabiano Scherner in 3:22 via technical knockout (TKO) in the first round.

 

Behind his big win, however, lies even bigger ambitions – and he’s not shy about letting the world know. At the post-fight interview, he declared his goal is to be the first UFC fighter to hold both heavyweight and light-heavyweight titles at the same time. He was then asked if he could knockout feared striker, Chuck Lidell, the current light-heavyweight champ. True to himself and his nickname, “The Truth,” he eagerly said that he could.

 

As you’d expect, Vera was criticized for his candidness. Some called him “cocky,” “arrogant” and a “trash talker.” So, is he? Maybe. Maybe his so-called critics have it all wrong. Maybe they should just get to know Vera more. “Mga kaibigan ko yan (‘The Truth’) ang tawag sa akin,” he states. “Kasi pag may tinanong ka sa akin, sasagutin kita ng deretso. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Walang B.S.”

 

And that’s exactly what the interviewer got. Because as Vera explained in a pinoymma.com forum, the question was a set-up since he doesn’t remember saying anything about knocking out Lidell. “Nobody is gonna punk me, especially on film,” he posted.

 

For the time being, it seems like no one will, whether it’s on TV or in the cage. Because with his balls-out work ethic and unflagging drive, Vera clearly has the makings of someone set to succeed. This is the kind of aura he exuded in his one-day free seminar here at the time of his visit.

 

As he taught a group of enthusiasts at UP Dilliman, he shared many techniques and tips. But he also shared his infectious passion for achieving his goal. “I really hope Brandon wins both belts,” said Rex Condenuevo, one of the participants at the seminar. “It psyches me up that I want to train harder and compete.”

 

However, beyond his quest for personal glory and love for the game, Vera says he also fights for another purpose: to bring recognition to the Philippines. “For me to able to represent the Filipino community in the UFC, it’s just so big for me,” he beams.

 

Despite only having been to the Philippines twice, Vera has an affinity for his Filipino roots and sensibilities. He speaks his native tongue with a colloquial flavor, adding “mehn!” at the end of his sentences. He also has that easygoing kind of camaraderie that can only be described as Pinoy. “Nakuha ko ‘yun Filipino values ko sa pamilya (paternal side) ko kasi lumaki rin ako sa extended na pamilya,” he explains

 

Yes, you could he say he’s so proud of his Filipino identity that he wears it on his sleeves. Or more specifically, back.

 

Taking up the real estate on his rather large back are his alibata (an ancient Filipino writing system that was extinguished by Western colonization) tattoos. The ink, which stands for the four elements of the earth, helps “keep me levelheaded,” Vera reveals. Not to mention, easy to notice when he’s in the cage.

 

After all, the man who can pass for a Vin Diesel look-alike sure knows the value of advertising – particularly when it comes to promoting his being Filipino, which he hopes could help out the local growing MMA scene. “If I can win both belts, make big waves and represent,” he says intently. “I think that would carry over here to the Philippines.”

 

Seeking to thwart his plans on February 4, 2006, however, is hard-hitter Justin Eilers whom Vera is set to face in the undercard bout of UFC 57. Once a contender for the heavyweight belt, Eilers is tough customer who says, “I like to knock people out.”

 

Not to worry, Vera is undeterred. You could even say he’s excited. “Yeah, it’s gonna be good one,” he wrote of the fight on pinoymma.com. “I'll stand with him ‘till he hits me hard, then we’re going to the ground.”

With fighting words like that, it’d be cliché to say “it’s going to be war.”

 

But it’s a prediction that holds much weight because for Vera, there is no truer calling than now, no finer moment to put it all on the line. After all, he believes: “It’s finally MY time to shine.”

 

And that is the mark of someone who knows himself well, inside and out.

 

thanks for the info bro... Brandon Vera could could be the next sensation in UFC! :)

 

para di maOT, si Royce Gracie, Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort

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1. vanderlei silva - best all around fighter; mostly maintains a stand-up game

2. frank shamrock - another best all around figher, footwork is superb! too bad he's not competing anymore

3. pele - explosive knockout kicks, very agile

4. vitor belfort - good ground defense, knockout puncher

5. bj penn - excellent grappling skills, good conditioning

6. carlos "dragonball z" newton - relentless fighter, good grappling skills

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