Te Huna confirmed the news of the fight on his Twitter account.

The 30-year old Te Huna (14-5) is coming off back-to-back first round victories over Aaron Rosa and Ricardo Romero. The wins helped get him back on track after a submission loss last February to Alexander Gustafsson snapped a six-fight winning streak.

Vera (12-5) was given a second chance to compete inside the Octagon after temporarily being cut and took advantage of it, defeating Eliot Marshall. At one time, it appeared Vera would face rival Thiago Silva in a rematch of their controversial clash last year but an injury kept him from taking the fight. In early 2011, Silva defeated Vera, but tested positive for a banned substance and the fight was overturned to a No Contest.

No other match-ups have been rumored/revealed for the show.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Last year, Silva sent “The Truth” packing from the UFC after pummeling him in their bout. However, in the post-fight drug testing it was revealed Silva submitted doctored urine in hopes of masking his use of performance enhancing drugs. Silva was suspended for a year and Vera allowed another shot inside the Octagon.

Vera (12-5) took advantage of his break, defeating Eliot Marshall and calling out Silva (15-2) for a rematch as soon as Silva was cleared to return by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

It was not made known if the bout would serve as the main event for the evening, but it is likely to be placed on the main card. The only other match-up reported for the card is a bout between Tom Lawlor-Jason MacDonald.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Vera, who originally lost a bout to Silva back at UFC 125, settled for a “No Contest” after Silva tested positive for a banned substance.However, with the suspension now expired, Vera has wasted no time in calling him out for a rematch.

“I just heard my dear friend Thiago Silva is back…..I want that ass, (no homo),” Vera posted Monday morning on his Twitter account.

“The Truth” picked up a victory over Eliot Marshall at UFC 137 despite suffering a broken arm in the hotly contested bout. The fight marked his first back since originally being cut from the UFC following the Silva loss but the UFC decided to give him one more chance to due Silva’s positive test.

It remains to be seen if the UFC will place Vera and Silva inside the Octagon again though it would certainly be a marketable match-up given the history and personal animosity between the two.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the October 29 pairing was announced by the UFC over the weekend.

Vera’s last fight came on New Year’s Day against Thiago Silva where he was outpointed, then subsequently released based on back-to-back defeats prior to the performance, before being given a reprieve when it came to light Silva had used steroids in preparation for the match-up. The lanky light heavyweight hasn’t won since August 2009 when he beat Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 102 meaning the stakes are clearly “do or die” this fall.

The 10-3 Marshall also finds himself in a similar position after receiving a pink-slip late last year, then getting another opportunity as a late replacement for the injured Karlos Vemola at UFC 129 against Luiz Cane who ultimately knocked the affable 31-year old out a few minutes into the first frame. With a full camp to prepare for Vera, Marshall will look to build on a 3-2 record in the UFC with wins over Jason Brilz and Vinny Magalhaes.

Other bouts scheduled for UFC 137 include surging welterweight Carlos Condit taking on former double-division champ B.J. Penn, highly-ranked heavyweight Frank Mir against TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson, and undefeated Matt Mitrione duking it out with French kickboxer Cheick Kongo.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Five Ounces of Pain has learned from a source with knowledge of Vera’s status that “The Truth” is on the verge of re-signing with the UFC and is no longer fielding offers from other promotions in anticipation of his immediate return.

Vera was last seen on the losing end of a one-sided decision to Silva on January 1 where he also suffered a severely shattered schnozz. However, the Brazilian’s name was the lone omission from a subsequent NSAC drug test based on one of the samples he submitted testing positive for an unnamed banned substance. Official results of the screening are still pending.

If the 6’2 Californian does indeed get a second chance in the UFC he will look to bounce back from a trio of consecutive losses including an opening round TKO defeat to Jon Jones and semi-controversial decision to Randy Couture. Vera holds an overall record of 11-6 in his career and has claimed victory in the past over respected opponents like Frank Mir and Krzysztof Soszynski.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Were those things not enough, according to a source near the situation, Five Ounces of Pain has learned the lanky light heavyweight also received a pink-slip from the UFC as a result of the loss.

Vera started his career out with an 8-0 record, including a severe beatdown of former heavyweight champ Frank Mir, but has gone 3-6 since an eleven-month break from competition in 2006-2007 due to a contract dispute. His New Year’s Day defeat marked the affable Californian’s third consecutive stumble in the Octagon after compiling back-to-back wins over Krzysztof Soszynski and Mike Patt in previous bouts.

However, regardless of his recent record, Vera’s newfound status as a free agent should be brief as he is well-liked by fans and possesses a well-rounded set of skills. Also notable is the fact his fight against Silva came after nearly a nine-month absence from the ring due to having suffered facial fractures in March action against Jon Jones. He holds an 11-6 overall record in his career with wins over Soszynski, Mir, and Mike Whitehead.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The change has been made official according to event’s line-up as listed on the UFC website.

In addition to offering Vera an opportunity to get back on the winning track after back-to-back losses, the occasion also marks the first time “The Truth” has been in action since suffering three broken bones in his face as a result of a Jon Jones elbow endured in their match-up last March. The lanky Californian is 11-5 overall with past wins over Krzysztof Soszynski and Frank Mir.

Like Vera, Silva will also be coming off a defeat in his previous bout and extended layoff. The 14-2 American Top Team product last fought in January, losing a decision to Rashad Evans, and is only now recovered from a chronic back injury he’d dealt with prior to the bout.

UFC 125 is scheduled for January 1st, 2011 and features a headlining championship clash between Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard, as well as Chris Leben testing Brian Stann’s stand-up, a scrap between lightweights Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi, and Nate Diaz in action against Dong Hyun Kim.

Lightweight champ Frank Edgar will defend his strap against the only individual to beat him, Gray Maynard, in the evening’s main event. Edgar lost a unanimous decision to Maynard in April 2008 before going on to win six straight bouts including two consecutive wins over former title-holder BJ Penn. Comparably, Maynard has won five fights in a row over a list of opponents featuring Nate Diaz, Roger Huerta, and most recently Ken Florian.

Also scheduled to see action on January 1st, 2011 in Las Vegas, Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson will settle their personal differences in the cage and help sort out the heavyweight contendership picture in the process. “Big Country” recently poked fun at Carwin’s alleged involvement in a steroid distribution ring with Carwin responding by taking verbal jabs at Nelson’s physique.

In addition to Edgar vs. Maynard II and Nelson vs. Carwin, the other “UFC 125 – Resolution” match-ups confirmed by the company are as follows:

Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi
Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera
Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann

The 14-2 Brazilian’s comments came in a brief conversation with Tatame where Silva also mentioned he hasn’t fully recovered from a back injury previously mentioned as having caused him to lose movement in one of his legs.

“The contract’s here, I’ll sign it tomorrow,” said Silva of the upcoming bout with Vera. “I think it’s a good fight, the two of us like to bang and it seems it’ll be a great fight. I’m anxious for this fight…He won’t be like trying to grab me all the time – we’ll trade a lot of punches.”

As far as his health, Silva elaborated on the situation and expressed confidence he would be at 100% for the January 1st event. “There’s plenty time and I still have to fix my spine. I’m doing treatment for it. It’ll take a month so I can go back to the trainings, but now I just have to wait (to) fight again,” he explained.

In addition to Silva’s clash with Vera, also rumored for the Las Vegas show is a headlining match-up between middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

News of the fight, in which both men will be looking to right their proverbial ships, was reported by MMAJunkie.

The match-up against Vera will mark almost exactly a year to the day since Silva last stepped foot in the Octagon, a hard-fought decision loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 108. Though he was previously scheduled to compete against Tim Boetsch at UFC 117, the 14-2 Brazilian pulled out of the event on short notice with an affliction causing him to “lose movement” in his right leg.

“The Truth” will also be returning to the ring after an extended injury-related layoff when the cage-door closes at UFC 125. Vera last competed in March against Jon Jones and had three bones in his face broken as the result of a fight-finishing elbow keeping him out of action since. The TKO was his second consecutive defeat, the first coming by decision to Randy Couture in November 2009, and the fifth of his sixteen-bout career.

Both light heavyweights should offer up an exciting display at the event for fans in attendance and tuning in at home. Vera and Silva are both quite capable on the ground, but are known more for rendering opponents unconscious rather than tapping them out. Of their twenty-five combined wins, eighteen have come by way of TKO (not to mention a strike-based submission for American Top Team’s Silva).

According to a report on Sherdog, Brandon Vera and Jon Jones have agreed to face off at a yet-to-be-determined event on the network in a bout that is sure to have major implications on the light heavyweight title picture and should feature some impressive stand-up from each man. Both fighters will be looking to bounce back from controversial losses suffered in their previous Octagon appearances.

Jones recently tasted defeat for the first time in his career when the 22-year old found himself disqualified after delivering downward elbows to fallen opponent Matt Hamill at the Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Finale. However, many felt the fight should have been stopped prior to the illegal blows, as “Bones” had shown dominance early in the match-up and was in the process of raining down barely-defended shots when the fouls occurred.

Fans were also left questioning the final result of Vera’s UFC 105 fight against Randy Couture when “The Natural” was awarded a unanimous decision after it appeared Vera had done more to earn the victory. “The Truth” was originally set to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 109 in February but found himself available when the Brazilian announced his withdrawal from the event earlier this week.

Other bouts confirmed for the card were Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman, Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago in a rematch, Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen and Matt Serra will be facing off with Frank Trigg in welterweight action.

The event has been set for February 6, 2010 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and will air live on pay-per-view.

Nogueira will be looking to make it two in a row with the UFC following his first round demolition of Luiz Cane at UFC 106, while Vera will be hoping to place himself back into the winners circle following a hard-fought unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Randy Couture during UFC 105.

Currently riding a two-fight win streak in the Octagon, Vera is on the heels of the most pivotal bout in his professional fighting carer as the 32 year old Muay Thai specialist will face off with “The Natural” Randy Couture in the main event of this evening’s UFC 105 card, taking place in Manchester, England.

In a recent conversation with the guys over at Fight! Magazine, Vera was forthcoming in explaining exactly why the cheese appeared to slide off the cracker when it appeared he had the world at his feet, explaining, “What happened to me is I made too much money and I started listening to the hype and started fucking around man. It was all a part of growing. I was talking to [Antonio Rodrigo] Noguiera and he was like, Brandon, I went through that shit twice—in Pride, and just last year in the UFC. I wasn’t training for shit. He told me, ‘if you hit the top then one day, one way or another, you’re going to hit rock bottom before you head north again.’ It’s crazy when you see that check, and you start counting . . . one, two, three, four, five, six . . . ”

As far as Vera’s now infamous claims of becoming both the UFC’s light heavyweight and heavyweight champion goes, don’t expect for him too shy away from those aspirations just yet. As a matter of fact, according to Vera, he’d face off with the current UFC heavyweight champion right now…..at about 210 pounds. For those of you that are keeping track, that’s a natural weight disadvantage of about 90 pounds.

“I’d fight Brock Lesnar at my weight right now,” claimed Vera. “Brock’s a beast, he’s a fucking manbeast, but he told on himself that last fight against Mir. He whupped Mir’s ass, but when he got hit his arms went straight out, he closed his eyes and put his face towards the mat.” He demonstrates this, like a child pretending to be an airplane. “He likes to be the hammer, he doesn’t like to be the nail. If you can touch Brock in the face, it’s all wrapped son. He’ll pick you up and throw you through the cage, cheese-grate you, pull you back through by your brain and punch you in the eye, but if you can touch him, it’s over. He told on himself, man, he showed his true colors that night.”

The event is scheduled to take place from the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England on November 14.

After recently signing a deal with the UFC that will carry through the duration of his career, Couture has made the decision to make the move back down to light-heavyweight following back to back losses at heavyweight to Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Vera has gone 3-1 since making the move to 205 pounds after previously competing at heavyweight, with his only loss in the division coming to Keith Jardine. Vera’s most recent trip to the Octagon was a unanimous decision victory over Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 102.

According to the British tabloid, The Sun, it looks like the main event of UFC 105 could now feature a light heavyweight battle between “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) and Brandon Vera (11-3).

In the past few weeks, the UFC has been struggling to find a decent main event fight for UFC 105 ever since they decided to move the upcoming UFC lightweight title fight between BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez to UFC 107 in December. The company decided to move the lightweight title fight after Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was forced to delay his much-anticipated bout with Rashad Evans so he could take time off in order to film his role as “B.A. Baracus” in the forthcoming “A-Team” movie.

The UFC was also reportedly considering a Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Henderson main event for the show, however a contract dispute between the UFC and Henderson has forced the company to look elsewhere for a main event. The company then asked Rashad Evans if he would interested in facing Couture on the show, but he declined the fight in order to focus on an upcoming battle with “Rampage” in the near future.

A Couture/Vera fight would mark the second time each man has fought in the past four months. They both recently fought at UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon on August 29. On that card, Vera managed to pick up a unanimous-decision victory over Krzysztof Soszynski, while Couture dropped a hard fought decision to former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

At the post-UFC 102 press conference, the UFC had announced that they had signed the 46-year old Couture to a six-fight extension. Couture then mentioned that he would be interested in fighting in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. If this match-up does indeed go down, it will mark the first time Couture has appeared in the UFC’s light heavyweight division since losing to Chuck Liddell at UFC 57 back in February of 2006.

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that the fight will be part of the UFC’s first ever trip to Portland which will take place at the end of August. No official date has been confirmed but August 29th has been rumored in many reports. The card is expected to be headlined by two former UFC heavyweight champions and true ambassadors of the sport as Randy Couture takes on Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera.

Both Hamill and Vera are coming off of victories which took place at UFC 96 in March. Hamill defeated fellow wrestler Mark Munoz via 1st round knockout. Hamill was criticized at first for his celebration after landing a vicious head kick which left Munoz motionless for some time. Hamill explained afterwards that he was excited and that the vibrations from the crowd got him all amped up. Vera and Munoz are close friends and are both part Filipino.

Brandon Vera recently defeated Michael Patt via leg kicks and looks to be finally beginning to adjust to life as a light heavyweight. His first two fights at 205 pounds were against Reese Andy which he won via unanimous decision and against Keith Jardine which he lost via split decision. In both of these bouts he did not display his trademark aggression or any of the Muay Thai striking skills that had him on the fast track towards championship gold.

Also rumored for this card is a middleweight match-up between the returning Chris Leben who used to train with Team Quest in Oregon and WEC convert Jake Rosholt. Justin McCully is also expected to face up and coming Brazilian heavyweight Junior dos Santos as well.

Hamill recently defeated Mark Munoz at UFC 96 via head kick in round 1 of their fight. Munoz shares a Filipino heritage with Vera and the two are close friends. The win was the second in a row for Hamill after he was defeated by Rich Franklin via third round TKO at UFC 88 last September. Hamill was a contestant on season three of The Ultimate Fighter and has superior wrestling skills, although he has more or less relied on an improved striking game over the course of his past few fights. He will be at a decided disadvantage when it comes to striking against Vera who is known for his vicious Muay Thai striking skills.

Vera has been up and down since dropping to the light heavyweight division in July of 2008. He is 2-1 thus far and until his last fight has not looked impressive at all. He recently defeated Mike Patt at UFC 96, utilizing leg kicks and causing the fight to be stopped early in the second round. Vera looked better than he had in all of his fights as a light heavyweight and a win over Hamill could put him back in the mix as a legitimate contender.

UFC 101 has not been officially given a location although it is believed that the event will be held at the Wachovia center in Philadelphia. The main event is scheduled to be for the lightweight title as champion BJ Penn takes on number one contender Kenny Florian. This will be the first time the title has been defended since UFC 84 in May of 2008. Other bouts rumored for the card include former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin taking on Thiago Silva, a lightweight match-up featuring Kurt Pellegrino and josh Neer as well as WEC import Danillo Villefort taking on Miletich fighter Jesse Lennox.

Brandon Vera (9-3) vs. Mike Patt (12-3)

Even though Vera will be competing under terms of a new contract with the UFC, it’s unlikely he will be retained if he loses this fight. In matching Vera up with Patt, the UFC is essentially giving the Lloyd Irvin brown belt a chance to convert a layup.

Once a rising star, Vera’s stock has plummeted almost as badly as the stock market. The 31-year old is just 1-3 in his last four fights and his lone win, a unanimous decision victory over Reese Andy at UFC Fight Night 14, proved to be a more effective sleep aid than Ambien.

In addition to once being a rising star, Vera at one time was one of the most entertaining fighters in all of MMA. This is a guy who began his UFC career 4-0 and fought like his hair was on fire (even though he doesn’t have any) when he demolished current interim UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in one minute and nine seconds at UFC 65.

The problem with Vera is that he began to fight like someone with a lot to lose. And while his job is at stake, his disappointing split decision loss against Keith Jardine at UFC 89 may have brought him down to rock bottom.

Vera will look to begin his comeback campaign against Patt, a member of Kerry Schall’s Meat Truck Inc., Patt, a native of nearby Dayton, also finds himself in a must-win situation, as he’ll be dropped from the UFC roster if he falls to 0-2.

Patt is a credible veteran but he will be no match for Vera’s strong kickboxing skills and won’t be able to match his underrated jiu-jitsu and wrestling ability. The only fighter that can beat Vera in this match is Vera himself.

Prediction: Brandon Vera via second round TKO.

Vera has just one more fight remaining under the terms of his current agreement but a source close to the situation revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com on Sunday that the Lloyd Irvin jiu-jitsu brown belt is in the process of finalizing a new deal.

Additionally, Vera’s next fight is set to take place at UFC 96 on Saturday, March 7 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. While an opponent has not been finalized, two separate sources close to the bout have informed Five Ounces of Pain that light heavyweight Mike Patt is expected to sign a bout agreement to face Vera.

Vera, 9-3, will look to rebound against Patt following a split decision loss to Keith Jardine at UFC 89 this past October. Prior to losing to Jardine, the former heavyweight competitor had recorded a unanimous decision victory over Reese Andy at UFC Fight Night 14 in July in his debut as a light heavyweight.

Patt, 12-3, made his UFC debut at UFC 88 this past September, losing to Tim Boetsch via first round TKO. A native of Dayton, Ohio, he will be given a chance to even his UFC record while competing in his home state.

Thus far the UFC has yet to officially announced any fights for UFC 96. However, Five Ounces of Pain was the first to break the news yesterday that former UFC heavyweight title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga will be taking on former two-time NCAA Division II wrestling champion Shane Carwin.

MMAWeekly is also stating a rumored bout between Brandon Vera and Keith Jardine in the light-heavyweight division is now also confirmed for the event. The bout is much needed for both as Jardine wants to quickly rebound from his beating at the hands of Wanderlei Silva while Vera wants to look impressive coming off of a decision win over Reese Andy last month at Fight Night 14.

UFC 89 will take place on October 18th with a scheduled main event of Michael Bisping vs Chris Leben. In addition to Vera/Jardine, also scheduled are two more light-heavyweight duels between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva as well as Sokoudjou battling Luis Banha Cane.