ONE Books Brandon Vera-Mauro Cerilli For Heavyweight Title

Brandon Vera will put his ONE heavyweight championship on the line this November against top contender Mauro Cerilli, the promotion announced.

The bout will take place in the headline role of ONE: Conquest of Champions on November 23 from the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

“The Philippines is a country that is extremely passionate about sports, especially martial arts. We have some of the greatest martial artists in Asia that call the Philippines home,” ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong said. “One of those athletes is our ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera. Brandon has been itching to get back in action to defend his heavyweight title for some time now, and I am thrilled to announce that he will be returning at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS. Brandon will have a very tough challenger in front of him in the form of Mauro Cerilli. The two provide an explosive matchup and a good contrast of styles.

“In addition, we’ve already announced it but I am super excited for the co-main event bout between Eduard Folayang and Amir Khan for the vacant ONE Lightweight World Championship. It’s going to be an electric evening at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.”

Vera, a Filipino-American, is a mixed martial arts veteran with a 15-7, 1 NC professional record. He joined ONE Championship in 2014 after competing for over a decade as one of the world’s best martial arts talents. A devastating striker known for his thunderous leg kicks as well as his well-rounded skills, Vera captured the ONE Heavyweight World Championship with a stunning knockout victory over Paul Cheng in December of 2015.

In his last bout, Vera dominated Japanese challenger Hideki “Shrek” Sekine to win via technical knockout in the first round, successfully defending his title.

Cerilli of Italy is a mixed martial artist with a professional record of 12-2. He is a Cage Warriors Heavyweight Champion and a certified finisher known for his knockout power and submission skills. Cerilli is currently riding a five-bout win streak, with four of those wins ending with emphatic knockouts.

In his latest outing, Cerilli stopped Karl Moore of Ireland in just 15 seconds. “The Hammer” now joins ONE Championship and is set to make his promotional debut vs. Vera.