Training Richard Gutierrez

MANILA, Philippines -- Like a true Pinoy, Brandon Vera dunks his pan de sal in his coffee cup before wolfing it down.

The mixed martial arts specialist, who is in town to train actor Richard Gutierrez for "Kamandag," surprised the GMA 7 show's cast and crew because he speaks Tagalog and has retained very Filipino traits.

Case in point: He says that he prefers the pan de sal made by a small bakery in San Diego, California, to that one sold by a famous franchise because "it's not Americanized."

He has eight tattoos. "All alibata words: apoy (fire), hangin (wind), bundok (mountain), tubig (water), pamilya (family) and Diyos (God). I'm planning to get one more, a Philippine flag, on my right arm."A fan of Vera's, Gutierrez had personally requested GMA 7 to hire the heavyweight as his fight instructor.
Starstruck

Fortunately, Vera's sister Michelle is a fan of Pinoy show biz. "She loves Richard," Vera relates.Brandon was equally star-struck when he visited "Showbiz Central." He admits, "Rufa Mae Quinto was my first crush."
"He gave up a lot of jobs in the US for this one because he loves the Philippines," says Jeff Clark, Vera's manager.

It's Vera's fifth time in the country. "I have a lot of relatives here.
I had my honeymoon in Bohol," he says.

He's married to another fighter, Kerry, who is featured on the Oxygen show, "Fight Girls."

The first and only Filipino in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Vera is nicknamed

"The Truth" by the US press.
First acting gig

"It's because I'm brutally frank," he points out.

"The Truth" is cast as "The Assassin" on "Kamandag"―his first acting gig.

He has taught Gutierrez muay Thai and Brazilian jiujitsu moves, such as the flying arm bar, arm drag to back take, choke hold, among others.
He describes Gutierrez as an apt student. "I was surprised. I thought I'd have a hard time, but our training went smoothly. I suppose he's as good a student as he is an actor."

( www.inquirer.net )