Brandon "The Truth" Vera will spring back to action as he defends his ONE heavyweight title at ONE: Conquest of Champions today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Standing in the way is Italian knockout artist Mauro Cerilli, someone the Filipino-American cannot take lightly.

One thing mixed martial arts fans will be looking at is the condition that Vera is in. It has been close to two years since he last fought. The last time he entered the cage was on Dec. 2, 2016. He won via technical knockout over Hideki Sekine, ironically in Manila as well.

Thus far, Vera is undefeated in three fights with ONE FC. He also fought under the UFC banner back in 2013, losing to Ben Rothwell at UFC 164 in the third round via TKO. In all, Vera has not tasted defeat in the last five years and the 41-year-old intends to keep it that way.

"Am I ready after spending two years away from the cage? Hell yes. I’ve prepared very hard for this bout. I’ve trained every day, in between traffic, shoots, and everything in the middle. I am confident of victory. I’m still hungry and I want it more now. Mauro [Cerilli] is a worthy opponent, he’s been knocking guys out while I was away, and I am in no way underestimating him,” said Vera during the media press conference held at the City of Dreams in Manila last Tuesday.

Undoubtedly, Vera is a favorite heading into the clash. But Cerilli is no pushover. He has shown the ability to finish off opponents and by knockout. Depending on the condition that the champ is in, the Italian can easily sway the tide to his favor and pull off a surprise Friday night at ONE: Conquest of Champions.

Vera knows what Cerilli is capable of. He is an aggressive striker and owns a deadly overhand right that the Fil-Am needs to be cautious about. To prepare for it, Vera has trained with fighters with similar moves and address one of the tactics that the Italian is more likely to resort to later this evening.

Despite being a favorite, Vera vows to unleash his all and come out triumphant. Cerillia does have a chance but with his hometown crowd cheering on, the ONE heavyweight champion believes that his reign will continue.

“What I said before is still true. I would much rather die than lose in front of the Philippines,” Vera declared in the pre-fight presser according to Rappler. “I can’t handle that. I am just as committed. I’m giving even more. I just want it more now.”