Vera targets lofty goal

Brandon Vera can't hide the immense respect he has for Randy Couture.

He has even taken to calling him "Mr. Couture" on the promotional trail as the two fighters tout their UFC 105 main event bout, which is scheduled for Saturday night in Manchester, England.

But Vera knows he can't let his idolization of the 46-year-old mixed martial arts legend stand in the way of trying to beat him up once the cage is closed.

"Hell, no. Let's put it that short and simple," Vera said. "Randy deserves all the respect in the world. He is the man. But come fight night, Randy is trying to whup my ass. He's handed out some good ones. I don't ever want to be on the receiving end of that. So I'll be damned if I'm going to be holding back at all."

Vera, 32, hopes to earn respect from Couture by beating him Saturday night.

"When they raise my hand, I want Randy to look over at me and (say), 'That (expletive),' " Vera said. "I want him to be proud of me for turning into the fighter I always talked about being."

Vera was viewed as a prodigy with unlimited potential when he broke into the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but after an 8-0 start to his career, he missed nearly a year of competition in a contract dispute.

His focus didn't entirely return when he came back in October 2007. Vera lost his first two fights after his comeback and decided to drop down to light heavyweight.

Since then, he has won three of four fights and says he has regained focus on his career.

"Before, I always thought I was that good," he said. "Now I'm starting to realize, 'Damn, I really can be that good.' That's what's really driving me."

Part of that refocusing centered on paying less attention to what is said about him.

"I remember sitting down by my pool table, and it just came to me," Vera said. "In school, they make you write essays on where you'll be in five years, and I wasn't where I was supposed to be. I was reading the media hype, watching Internet stuff, believing all the (expletive)."

He still has lofty aspirations in the sport.

"I want to hold the belt in both weight classes at the same time," he said of his desire to grab both the heavyweight and light heavyweight belts. "I'll say it today, and I'll keep saying it until the day I retire. If you don't have a goal that you're reaching for, then what the hell are you fighting for? One belt is not enough for me. I want to do something ridiculous that nobody has ever done before."

Couture has held both titles, though not at the same time. He is dropping back to light heavyweight from heavyweight, much like Vera did.

Couture says he respects Vera's abilities.

"I've actually enjoyed watching Brandon fight. I think I've seen all of his fights at this point either live or on DVD now," he said on a conference call. "I've enjoyed his style of fighting, and he's beaten some very good guys and done a great job."

Vera's style centers mostly on his explosive Muay Thai striking, but like Couture, Vera's background is in wrestling. He trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., before a severe arm injury cut short his wrestling career.

Now he is focused solely on MMA. He's even married to female fighter Kerry Vera, a relationship he claims has helped him stay balanced.

"It makes life easy, man. From my perspective, I don't have a girl calling all the time, 'Hey, why are you still at the gym?' or 'Why are those girls talking to you?' 'Hey, why this? Why that?' " he said. "We both have the same coaches and train at the same time. We come home; we eat. There's no arguing; there's no yelling. We just watch TV. We're tired.

"The only thing that does suffer is we're both training right now, so the dogs don't get as much attention. We don't get to take them out as much, and the house is going to (expletive). The dishes are piling up, and the floors are dirty."

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.