Vera makes heavyweight comeback

MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Am Brandon Vera returns to heavyweight action for the first time in five years as he faces the bigger, taller Ben Rothwell in one of the main cards of the UFC 164: Henderson vs Pettis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin today (Phl time).

Vera, who has gone 4-4 (win-loss) and a no-contest in nine fights at light heavy, hopes to rely on his speed and agility in his fight against Rothwell, who is taller and heavier at 6-4 and 262 lbs. The Fil-Am fighter stands at 6-3 with a 241-lb frame.

Rothwell, 31, will be a dangerous foe for Vera as the former has wracked up 32 wins including 18 on knockouts against nine defeats.

As an undersized heavyweight, the 35-year-old Vera has won his first eight bouts including a sensational TKO (elbows and punches) win over former heavyweight titlist Frank Mir in UFC 65 in Sacramento, California seven years ago.

It was a downward spiral for Vera from there, though.

With a promising career ahead of him, Vera ran into bigger foes like Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia, a former champion himself, at UFC 77 in 2007 in Cincinnati, Ohio where he broke a hand and Brazilian Fabricio Werdum in UFC 85 in London, England five years back.

Although he still struggled in the lighter class, Vera showed some promise when he lasted four rounds against light heavy contender Mauricio “Shogun” Rua before losing via KO (punches) in the UFC on Fox: Shogun vs Vera in August last year.

Vera, however, hopes to redeem himself in his return to heavyweight.