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‘Crank’ welcomes challenge
Frank “The Crank” Camacho, bottom, tries to get out of a choke hold by Brandon Vera in this file photo taken during one of their training sessions in Guam. (Contributed Photo)
Frank “The Crank” Camacho is up to the challenge of facing veteran fighters under the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization, like his next opponent Drew Dober.
Camacho will be meeting Dober in one of the four main card bouts in UFC ON FOX 27 Jacare VS Brunson 2 on Jan. 27 (Jan. 28 Marianas time) at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ronaldo Souza will again take on Brunson in a five-round middleweight non-title bout. The Brazilian defeated Brunson by knockout via punches in Strikeforce; Rousey vs. Kaufman on Aug. 18, 2012 at the Valley View Casin Center in San Diego, California.
Camacho (21-5 with 15 knockouts) will be fighting for the third time under UFC, while Dober (18-8 with 4 KOs) has been with the popular mixed martial arts promotion since 2013. The Omaha, Nebraska-born fighter suffered a unanimous decision loss to Sean Spencer in UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale on Nov. 30, 2013 held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Camacho said he is thankful for the trust UFC has given him.
“I’m honored to share the cage with [Dober] and he’s a UFC veteran since 2013. And I’m humbled for the opportunity to share the cage with a UFC veteran like him. This is my third fight in the UFC and it’s so nice the UFC organizers are matching me up against tough dudes. A win over Dober will propel me in the rankings,” added the 28-year-old fighter from the Marianas, who left for Charlotte yesterday.
He added that he completely trusts the entire UFC organization in choosing his opponents.
“The [UFC] matchmakers know what they’re doing. They know this match is going to be filled with firepower,” Camacho said.
He added that he seizes every opportunity presented to him. “In life, you’re given so many opportunities. This is one that I’m presented. I can’t shy away from it. It’s a fight that will show once again where I come from and the island fighting spirit.”
The Marianas pride will face Dober less than three months after earning his first UFC win. He outclassed Damien Brown via split decision in UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum VS. Tybura in November last year at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Camacho also dueled China’s Jingliang Li and was a last-minute replacement in UFC Fight Night 111 in Singapore. He lost his UFC debut to Li, but their bout was selected as Fight of the Night—the same distinction the Camacho-Brown tiff earned.
