In the final press conference before Saturday's UFC 105 event in Manchester, England, Brandon Vera delivered an earnest show of respect towards his opponent and mentor Randy Couture."Come fight night, you're going to see potentially the best Brandon Vera that you have seen so far and I won't be hesitating at all, I promise," Vera said. "And that's for me and for Randy, so he knows that I'm coming along in this sport and that I've set goals and I'm moving forward for those goals. So he'll understand that I'm not playing around anymore. But all the respect in the world has to go to him.
"He's an ambassador for the sport. He's done his thing. He's five-time world champion, that motivates me more to be him, to beat that man."
Couture, who will be fighting in the UK for the first time in his career, touched on the subject of his age -- he's 46 -- and said he still feels capable to hang at an elite level.
"I'm having a blast and I still feel like I'm getting better as a fighter," Couture said. "I haven't sent any limits on myself. I'm still performing well and meeting the kind of benchmarks that I've set for myself and the training environment first and foremost in getting a chance to compete at a high level."
Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy
Mike Swick said he felt really bad about pulling out of the Martin Kampmann fight and is happy with this opportunity.
Dan Hardy drew laughter at the conference with a gag gift to Swick.
"I actually got Mike a bit something so he didn't leave England empty handed and just something to remember his journey by," Hardy said during his opening statement. "I got a runner-up trophy, just so he didn't leave empty handed. I'm going to be busy after the fight answering questions and sorting out a gameplan for Georges St-Pierre."
Swick laughed off the gesture.
"I want to thank Dan Hardy for this trophy," Swick said. "It means a lot Coming runner-up in a press conference is pretty cool, but I just want everyone to know I'm going to give it right back to him after our fight. My corner guys will carry this to the Octagon, but I'll keep this for now."
Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang
Michael Bisping said the last time he fought in Manchester was UFC 70 and the event was one of the highlights of his career. He's been itching to get back to his winning ways after his knockout loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 in July.
Denis Kang said he's pumped for the fight and pleaded to the press to not miss the fight or they'll be disappointed.
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