After a roller-coaster career that saw Vera climb the first hill of the UFC's heavyweight division then plummet to the bottom, the 38-year-old will fight for gold at the Dec. 11 ONE: Spirit of Champions event at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
Vera will face undefeated heavyweight Chi Lewis-Parry (6-0, one no-contest) for the promotion's inaugural strap.
Lewis-Parry has finished all six of his career victories, four via knockout and two via submission. His one no-contest came at ONE FC 16 after he landed an accidental groin strike to his opponent, Alain Ngalani, that forced a premature end to the bout.