(Steve Mazzagatti never could decide when it was the right time to pull the old hat-over-the-eyes prank.)
In an interview Monday during The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, recently re-signed UFC light heavyweight Brandon “The Truth” Vera had some less than positive things to say about the last man he faced in the octagon, Thiago Silva.
It has been nearly 10 months since Vera and Silva threw down at UFC 125: Resolution, with Silva coming away the victor by unanimous decision and handing Vera his walking papers. However, when the drug tests came back, it was revealed that Silva had altered the results of his urine in an effort to mask the steroids he had been taking for back pain. Silva was then fined over 33 grand for the incident, and suspended a year. Vera was invited back to the UFC, and is fighting for the first time since the incident against Elliot Marshall at UFC 137, barring any last second injuries.
When asked about the Silva fight, Vera lived up to his nickname, not holding any of his feelings back in regards to Silva.
On how Silva was able to hold him down so easily:
“The whole fight I just kept asking myself, what the hell is going on? Why is this? I train with Phil Davis, Travis Browne, the Noguiera brothers, Junior Dos Santos…I train with some big dudes man and nobody has ever just been able to hold me down you know?”
On Silva’s antics in the third round:
“I think he was just celebrating, but now that I know that he was a juice monkey, for sure I think he is a piece of shit. He is for sure just a piece of shit.”
It’s hard to blame the guy for his animosity toward Silva, who isn’t exactly known for being the most respectable of fighters. I mean, beside the fact that Silva used the third round to join our Bitch Slap Hall of Fame and perform his own rendition of “Hakuna Matata” on Vera’s back, he also did this to Vera’s face. The comments aren’t without merit is all I’m saying.
Anyway, Vera went on to talk about how it felt to be back in the UFC, which he described as, “…like when you cheated on your girlfriend in middle school and she broke up with you but you know she was the perfect one but you’ll never get her back. It was exactly like that.”
Ok then.
But perhaps the best line from the interview was when Vera was questioned about who he thought could beat current light heavyweight champ Jon Jones:
“There are at least three or four that can beat him, Rashad, Phil Davis, myself and Machida…and Shogun. I’ve never seen Shogun lose to the same person twice…ever. He lost to Jones once, I don’t think he will lose like that again.”
After what happened to Vera last time he fought Jones, you gotta give props to the guy for not immediately considering a drop to middleweight, let alone saying he could take the champ in a rematch. Apparently the truth really does hurt.
-Danga