The truth about Brandon Vera

In the violent and brutal world of wrestling (the stunts are actually choreographed and scripted) and in martial arts, the heavyweight players often have titles, such as The Animal (Dave Batista, who is half Filipino) and The Rock (Dwayne Johnson, now a Hollywood actor).

And then there’s Brandon Vera, the Fil-Am UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) superstar also known as The Truth.

Why The Truth?

“The title didn’t come from me,” said Brandon in an exclusive one-on-one with Funfare, speaking in Taglish. “It’s not right for you to give yourself a ‘title.’ It came from my friends. I’m the type kasi who speaks the truth; sinasabi ko derecho ang totoo. So friends started calling me The Truth and it stuck. Maybe,” added the 6’3” martial artist (weight is between 206 to 265 pounds; he’s turning 31) who looks — and is a gentle giant — like Vin Diesel (whose twin brother is married to a Filipina), “it’s because of my style of training. I train hard the way martial artists are supposed to. With me, nothing is fake; what you see is the truth.”

You will see what Brandon means when you see him on Maxx and Balls, touted as “your well-rounded Sports Channel on SkyCable 34,” which Brandon has come to promote, along with the UFC fight in London on June 7.

“I’m doing a countdown to the London event. I’m counting the weeks. Serioso na ang training eight weeks before the fight.”

Brandon flew in from San Diego, California, over the weekend, in time to catch the Invasion: The Philippines vs. the World last Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum won by all the Filipino boxers (Gerry Peñalosa, Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista, AJ “Bazooka” Banal, among them).

He was here last year to train Richard Gutierrez for his GMA action-adventure starrer Kamandag. “My sister knows Richard and that’s how I became his trainer,” he volunteered. “Richard and I saw each other in Las Vegas during the Pacquiao-Marquez fight.”

Told that Maxx and Balls is a perfect name for the sports channel, Brandon (interviewed at EDSA Shangri-La where his entourage is billeted; Juan Manuel Marquez, the Mexican boxer beaten by Manny Pacquiao in the recent super-featherweight fight in Las Vegas, also stays in the same hotel) broke into a wide smile.

“Balls stands for strength and machismo...and men,” he said, nodding in agreement when reminded that some women (including his wife who is a kickboxer) do have, ehem, “balls” (also meaning will power).

Like Allan Pineda a.k.a. apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas and several other US-bred Pinoy artists/celebrities, Brandon is proud to be a Filipino. That’s “the truth” and nothing but.

“I’m 50/50 Filipino-American. I love America, I have no complaint against anything in America. But my upbringing and culture is Filipino. I grew up in a Filipino household. My family lived in Virginia, where my parents still are, before I moved to California. ‘Yung dalawang kapatid ko at isang pinsan kasama ko sa San Diego. 

“We eat rice with Filipino ulam at home. We were brought up to respect our elders — my grandma lived with us in Virginia, including some uncles and aunts...you know, extended famly. My father, Ernesto Mendoza Vera Sr., is Filipino. My biological mother is Italian but my adoptive mother, Amelia Guerra Vera, is Filipina. Siya ang nagpalaki sa akin since I was three years old.”

Is his kind of martial arts more violent/brutal than wrestling?

“What I do is real, unlike wrestling which is, as you said, choreographed and scripted,” said Brandon, showing “souvenirs” (scars and all) he sustained during the more than six years he has been professionally with UFC. “I grew up watching WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). It’s entertainment. They do get hurt in the process. In UFC, we do it for real, no script. Pag natulog ang kalaban, tulog talaga. The one who’s got the biggest balls wins. Hahaha!”

Asked if he’s interested in joining local showbiz, Brandon smiled, his face lighting up, “Why not?” Action movies? “Yes, of course!” What about “bold” roles? “Puede rin, kahit ano,” he laughed and laughed.

As a kid, he wanted to be an astronaut. He quit college and joined the US Air Force.

“If you asked me in 2002 what career I wanted to pursue, hindi ko alam. Ngayon, alam na alam ko na. I was wrestling since I was in the sixth grade. In 2000, kumukulo na ang dugo ko ang I wanted na to compete. Then, I saw Randy Couture (also a mixed martial arts superstar) on TV, lumalaban sa UFC, and I told myself, ‘Kaya ko rin ang ginagawa niya’. Couture and I were together at the Olympic Training Center. There was a snowball effect. In short, that’s how I got into UFC.

So how does The Truth keep himself in fighting form?

“I work out and it depends on who my coach is. I have a boxing coach, a jujitsu coach. They give me different kinds of workouts. I eat anything in moderation. Healthy eating. I swear by herbal cheery drinks. I lead a pretty much disciplined life. No nightlife at all.”

(Note: Brandon “The Truth” Vera will sign autographs and pose for pictures with his fans during the open training at Trinoma Mall tomorrow, April 9, starting 3 p.m. You also have a chance to win special UFC merchandise. There will also be a promo for lucky winners to fly to London to watch “The Truth” in action on June 7.)

Another Pinay makes it abroad

From a reader (who requested her name withheld):

One-time Little Miss Universe (1999) of the ABS-CBN TFC (The Filipino Channel), Natalie Chua is one of the six members of Simon Cowell’s band Angelis after she was selected from a field of 3,500 classical singers who auditioned. The band has sold half a million album (worth approximately $10-M) as of Christmas 2006 and topped the UK chart.

When she was 11, Natalie won a UK songwriting contest, the youngest ever to do so and the only contestant of Anglo-Filipino blood.

In 2005, she was awarded a plaque of recognition by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during her visit to London.

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