FightHype.com briefly caught up with UFC heavyweight contender Brandon "The Truth" Vera as he was on his way to the gym to train for his highly anticipated return at UFC 77 when he takes on Tim "The Maniac" Sylvia. Vera talks about his time away from the Octagon, Randy Couture's victory at UFC 74, and why he thinks Sylvia is even more dangerous now than ever before. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going BV?
BV: Good. No complaints. No complaints at all.
PC: How does it feel to finally have something set in place and to be back into the UFC?
BV: Really good man. I'm excited to be back.
PC: We did a poll on FightHype.com to see who the fans wanted to see you fight and with over 2,100 votes they picked Tim Sylvia with 38.5% of the votes. Andrei Arlovski was a close second with 35.2%. Tim Sylvia was the guy you were supposed to fight before you had your setback. How does it feel to have him as your first opponent back?
BV: It's cool. It's right where I left off so I'll be picking up right where I left off.
PC: Do you feel like the rest helped you or hurt you as far as the momentum you had before you left?
BV: It helped me because I got to get better at a couple of different things.
PC: I saw you at UFC 74. How did you enjoy the fights my man?
BV: I'm a true fan of the UFC. I love watching the fights and I was screaming in my seat and jumping up and down.
PC: What did you think of Randy's performance?
BV: Ah man! It was right out of Randy Couture's playbook. It was exactly how he planned it and it happened. It was amazing watching him do it again.
PC: What do you feel was the biggest asset you gained in your time away from the UFC?
BV: Working on my speed and becoming even faster. I also learned to keep most people an arm's length away until you find out what they really want from you. It's sad, but it's true.
PC: Being that you have been through so much on the legal side of the game for the better part of the year, I'm sure it feels good for you to get back to what you do best and that's fight.
BV: Exactly. It's good to get back to what I do best and concentrate on it. It will be nice to be able to get back to it.
PC: People were kind of hard on Tim for losing to Randy, but the more Randy fights, the more we acknowledge his greatness. What do you think of Sylvia as a fighter right now?
BV: I think he is even more dangerous than he was when he had the belt because he's hungry now. He doesn't like me too much so he has a lot to prove, so I think he'll come in good shape and ready to fight.
PC: We'll get more with you BV. I know you're on your way to the gym. Is there anything you want to say to your fans in closing?
BV: I just want to say thank you to North County Fight Club management for getting my career back on track. I want to thank you, Percy, for doing this interview and I want to thank all of my fans for being patient. If you forgot who I was, keep watching and you'll see me soon!
