Vera: Shogun will bring out my best
Everybody used to call me cocky back at the start of my career, and they were right. I was cocky. I don't see myself as being cocky anymore, though. Confident, yes, but no longer cocky. Over time, I had the cockiness beaten out of me and, thankfully, that has made me a better fighter and a better person. Now, at 34 years of age, my mindset is a lot different, and a lot better, than it used to be. And, because of this newfound maturity, I'd say I'm twice the fighter I was in my twenties.
Nobody can understand when or how this change occurred, but it did. Even my friends and coaches ask me, “At what point did you become this person, Brandon?” In truth, I can't tell you when I started maturing or when I shed that cockiness, but it happened. And I'm thankful for it, because as soon as it left me, I was able to deal with reality a whole lot better.
If I could sit down and have a conversation with the Brandon Vera of 2006, I'd take him by his neck and say, 'Don't let any of this shit go to your head, kid'. I'd tell him a lot is about to happen to him and, if he lets it get to his head, it could end up ruining him. There will be a lot of good shit and a lot of bad shit. If he can't differentiate the two, or if he loses sight of what's truly important, then that's where problems will arise. Also, this whole winning thing won't last forever. At some point a guy will come along and kick your butt, and then we'll see what you're made of. If you haven't learnt your lesson, or aren't strong enough to rebound, well, more fool you.
Winning is the most enjoyable part of sport, but it's also the easiest part. Anybody can enjoy winning and lap up the praise that comes their way as a result. Try reacting to a defeat, though. That's when it gets really difficult. That's when you have to turn the mirror on yourself and ask a few probing questions. Why wasn't I able to win? Was the guy just better than me? Where does this leave me? Is there any point in going on? All these kind of thoughts enter your head, and you've got to do your best to filter them and improve on what you did wrong. Honestly, it takes a special character to successfully do that. Many fighters find it extremely difficult.
If you can respond to setback, the rewards are great, though. Take me, for example. On Aug. 4, live on FOX, I will be going toe-to-toe with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, a personal hero of mine and somebody I have watched compete for years. A win against Shogun on Aug. 4 would not only represent a great personal triumph, but it would also instantly catapult me into the upper echelon of the light-heavyweight division. That is, simply, the beauty of mixed martial arts. A couple of fights ago I was worried for my UFC contract and my career and now I am gearing up for the biggest and most important fight of my life. If you stick with it, and believe in better fortune, good things will come your way.
But, let me take the opportunity to say this — I'm done waiting around for good things to happen. On Aug. 4 against Shogun, you will see me go out there and make stuff happen. There won't be any waiting. You won't see me standing off, pausing for openings, waiting for an opportunity to counter-strike. No, I'm sick and tired of that old me. Next Saturday you will see me go for it. I'm planning on making up for all those opportunities I let slip by through sheer laziness, or because I thought being patient would pay off.
If there's one thing I've realized in the last few years it's that the truly great fighters go out there and make shit happen. They don't wait around for nobody. When that Octagon door closes and you prepare to fight for three or five rounds, you have to do all you can to ensure you walk out of there with a victory. If you don't do that, you're a fool. Shogun Rua has made a career out of leaving every ounce of his being in the cage or ring and, on Saturday, I plan on doing exactly the same...
When I heard the news that Rua would be my next opponent, a "yes" came out of my mouth before I could even think about what was coming out of my mouth. It was instinctive. I was excited, I got goosebumps. Though it sounds like a cliché, it really was a dream come true for me.
Shogun has been considered one of the very best in the world, pound-for-pound, for a long, long time, and that makes this fight so exciting for me. There was one point, not long ago, where nobody wanted to fight Shogun. He was seen as being deadly, the kind of guy you steer clear of if given the option. In many ways, that's still the case now, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to fight a living legend.
I've always thought it would be really cool to fight Shogun, and have often told my friends and training partners it is a fight I'd love to one day happen. I've been saying that for years, in fact. It's a great opportunity and, more than that, a great fight between two guys whose styles should mesh.
This fight isn't just about the win, either — it's how I win. I've won fights badly in the past and, though a win is always nice, you get absolutely no satisfaction from those kind of nights. Saturday night is my chance to not only win, but do it in style and get people excited about me again. There are no excuses this time. The UFC has handed me an opponent to make me look good, a guy suited to my kind of style, and it's now my job to go out there and put on a show.
This wasn't a fight or an opportunity I expected to come my way so early, especially given recent form. The UFC knows I can talk, and they know I can produce when the opponent is right, but I now need to prove I can do so much more than that, too. In that respect, there is a lot riding on this fight for me. If I can't show my true potential and ability against somebody like Shogun, it will probably never happen. This is a big fight, one I can get up for, and also, stylistically, an ideal one for me. We know Shogun's forte is his stand-up, and we know I'm willing and able to stand up and strike with anybody in the world. Therefore, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what kind of fight the fans are going to get this weekend.
Shogun and I share certain similarities, but, for the most part, we're very different kinds of strikers. He likes to plant his feet and come forward — actually, rush forward — and is always looking to land and do damage at every point in a fight, whereas I tend to counter a lot more and set traps. The main thing we both do well is kick, though, and I can't wait to start feeling some of his kicks on Saturday night. Just thinking about the prospect of that gets me going. What people don't realize is the more I get kicked, and the more somebody attacks me, the more amped up I get. It makes my blood boil, in a good way. Getting kicked turns me on. As soon as one lands, I'm thinking to myself, 'Oh, so you want to kick-box with me? Let's do this!'
I need an opponent like Shogun to bring out the best in me, and I'm sure he will do that on Saturday night. He will give me chances to land shots and showcase my skills and, once all is said and done, I will thank him for the many great years of entertainment, and thank him for bringing me out of my comfort zone. Because once you're brought out of that comfort zone, whether by danger or fear, you truly find out some interesting stuff about yourself. It's sink or swim. Saturday night could be very much like that for me, and I'm thankful to still be put in those kinds of positions at this stage in my mixed martial arts career. With just a few days to go until I stand toe-to-toe with Shogun, I feel alive again, rejuvenated...
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Brandon "The Truth" Vera meets fellow Muay-Thai destroyer Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Saturday at 8 p.m. ET live on FOX.
