‘The Crank’ learns lesson in second UFC fight

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Frank “The Crank” Camacho signs posters of Ultimate Fighting Championship 121: Werdum VS Tybura in a pre-fight event in Sydney, Australia last month. He fought Australian Damien “Beatdown” Brown and won by split decision. (Contributed Photo)

Frank “The Crank” Camacho is still learning despite being a professional mixed martial arts fighter for more than 10 years. His last fight against Australian Damien “Beatdown” Brown was no exception.

The 28-year-old Marianas bet still missed weight in his lightweight (155 lbs) bout by a mere 4 lbs even though Ultimate Fighting Championship organizers gave a 1-pound allowance to all fighters. Camacho weighed in at 160 lbs, making him ineligible for the $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus when he defeated Brown via split decision in UFC 121: Werdrum VS Tybura more than a week ago at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

“There’s a clause in the contract that if you missed the weight, you are not eligible for the bonus. It is what it is and it is a price that I have to pay. It is a huge lesson that I learned. I wasn’t really accounting for it, but $50,000 would have been a big help for me and my family. That could have helped us big time,” said Camacho.

“What happened was I cut water too early. Then the day before the weigh-in, I was trying to sweat to lose the 4 lbs, but the problem is I wasn’t sweating anymore. I was working my butt off for almost two hours,” said Camacho.

His situation was a cause of concern for members of Team “Crank” led by Cuki Alvarez, Steve Roberto, and Melchor Manibusan.

“They were concerned. I was in a really bad shape during the weigh-in that I was so close of not being able to fight,” Camacho said. “I was wearing the sauna suit, running outside, and doing everything but not even a single sweat. Like I was so drained and so sucked out that they thought I was already done for. It was bad on my part because I cut water too early so I don’t have any more water to lose.”

Lesson learned, Camacho said he plans to stay between 170 and 175 lbs when he is not fighting. The 170- to 175-lb target would make it easier for him to shed the extra pounds before he again climbs the octagon.

“I’m more comfortable fighting at 155. I got to eat what I want, but I need to eat healthy. I need to maintain 170 to 175 lbs. The experience in this fight [against Brown] is what I needed for the future of my [MMA] career.”

Camacho said his weight problems could be tied with the idyllic island lifestyle. “I’m just a big boy, a local boy. The food here is always good and I just need to be disciplined in what I eat. It sucks that it is only now that I’m just trying to realize this.”

“Now, I need to eat like an athlete. This is now my career, my job. I just need to eat like a pro. I didn’t eat properly the whole week before the fight. I was just eating nuts, almonds, and that’s it. Sometimes a little bit of chicken or fish. Imagine if I eat better and if I eat good. I would always be ready and in fighting weight before I fight,” he added.