Vera spices up Shanghai One Championship card

Reigning heavyweight world champion Brandon ”The Truth” Vera will make a special appearance to help spice up One Championship’s inaugural card in Shanghai on Sept. 2.

The Fil-Am mixed martial arts sensation will be on hand during the event week of the much-anticipated One Championship: Shanghai, joining excited fans in witnessing the Face-Off event at the Hotel Indigo Shanghai On The Bund on Aug. 31.

“I am excited to meet all of the adoring martial arts fans in Shanghai. The Chinese people are so passionate about the sport,” said Vera.

Welterweight champ Ben “Funky” Askren will defend his title against Swedish contender Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam in a five-rounder that headlining the highly anticipated promotion set at the 15,000-seater Shanghai Oriental Sports Center.

The 39-year-old Vera (157 spiked by 10 KOs and one submission) is among One Championship’s top superstars.

A devastating striker with a well-rounded submission and grappling arsenal, he joined the organization in 2014 after competing for over a decade as one of the world’s best heavyweights.

He captured the inaugural ONE Heavyweight World Championship title with a stunning knockout victory over Paul Cheng in December 2015.

Vera defended his belt last year by stopping previously unbeaten Japanese stalwart Hideki Sekine in the first round.