‘The Crank’ eyes shift to motocross

Frank “The Crank” Camacho tries on his new motocross gear after deciding to try out a new sport following his fight against Manuel “El Loco” Torres in UFC Fight Night 209 in May 14. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

It appears as though local MMA star Frank “The Crank” Camacho has decided to reinvent his sporting career by trading in fighting with two fists to racing on two wheels. Camacho, who is currently on island enjoying a vacation, yesterday announced that after his next fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship he will be transitioning to a full-time career in the sport of motocross.

When asked in an interview why the sudden change of sports, Camacho mentioned an old memory as his reason. “Ever since I first threw a leg over my friend’s Suzuki 1995 RM 80 in 2004 with just a pair of zorries and crashed on the kaskåo (Chamorro for “gravel”), it triggered something inside me that only now came to fruition.”

It was after looking at videos that members of the Marianas Racing Association would post up on social media that the bug to race bit him again. “Those races made me realize that motocross has been my sports passion all along. I just didn’t know it at the time,” Camacho added.

This is not the first time the former Ultimate Reality Combat Championship light heavyweight champion and three-time Fight of the Night winner in the UFC has taken to a different sport while focusing on another. Prior to his fateful encounter with Trench Tech/Purebred MMA, Camacho had aspirations of becoming a professional golfer and competed on the national team level as a golfer.

When asked about Camacho’s decision, MRA vice president and extreme sports legend Cuki Alvarez said, “I know that this is a shocker, it definitely was a shock to me! But what I realized while watching Frank blossom into a formidable mixed martial artist, is that he will not quit until he masters what he sets out to be good at. That has always been his mantra, and I’m anxious to see him do his thing lapping around Cowtown when the green flag goes up.”

The father of three children mentioned that he had done a few practice rounds in Guam at their motocross track with local motocross enthusiast and jiujitsu practitioner Johnny Aguon and former Saipan resident Kim Aiken in preparing for this transition. Camacho said, “John and Uncle Kim have been good coaches, they have been at this longer than I have and their style of teaching is nearly similar to the same coaching I got from Cuki at Trench Tech,” adding that both Aguon and Aiken have races in the CNMI under their respective belts.

Camacho is expected to make his racing debut this coming May as part of the 2022 MRA Points Series. MRA president and veteran racer Charles V. Cepeda was nothing but smiles when reacting to the news.

“Frank Camacho has not only been a source of island pride every time he straps on the glove inside the eight sides, but he is without a doubt, a role model for all the youth of the Marianas. Many of our young racers are fans of his, and definitely will be happy to know he’ll sharing the track with all of them and getting down and dirty with them just as they do every chance they race. I also hope that with his decision to race full-time, more aspiring racers will join the Association and more spectators will witness the races we put on for them at Marpi,” Cepeda said in a statement sent to the news desk earlier today.”

Camacho’s next fight is scheduled for May 14 at UFC Fight Night 209, where he will face Manuel “El Loco” Torres in what is only Torres’ second fight inside the Octagon™. When reflecting on his fighting career, Camacho said, “I had a good one, I have accomplished more than what I set out to do in this journey and I am forever grateful for the experiences and blessings it has given me. However, when asked for any parting words, he said, “If you think you’ve seen everything Frank ‘The Crank’ Camacho can do, you ain’t seen nothing yet Marianas. I’m just as relentless on the racetrack as I am within three to five rounds and I am ready to crank up the volume and kick up some dust. And I would like to tell all my fans, “HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!” (PR)