Better prepared ‘Crank’ eyes UFC win

Frank “The Crank” Camacho works with the bag during a training session for his UFC debut. Camacho will be making his second UFO appearance on Nov. 19 when he takes on Damien Brown in UFC Fight Night 121 in Sydney, Australia.
(Contributed Photo)

Frank “The Crank” Camacho is in the final two weeks of training and preparation for his upcoming bout against Australian Damien Brown in UFC Fight Night 121.

This will be Camacho’s second UFC fight after serving as the last-minute replacement foe of China’s Jingliang “The Leech” Li (13-4, 4 knockouts) in UFC Fight Night 111 held last June 17. He lost his UFC debut at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and is hoping to bounce back when he duels Brown on Nov. 19 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Camacho (20-5, 15 KOs) said this time he’s better prepared when he goes up against Brown (17-10, 3 KOs, 2-2 UFC), who is coming off a loss to American Vinc Pichel (10-1, 8 KOs) in UFC Fight Night 111 last June 10 at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The Marianas pride has been training all year long, but went into an intense training camp for two months in preparation for his second time of entering the UFC octagon.

“I have six to eight weeks of preparation leading into this bout against the week-and-a-half with Li. Also, I’m fighting at 155lbs, where I’m bigger and stronger,” said Camacho in an interview with Saipan Tribune last Sunday.

Camacho’s camp also studied some of Brown’s moves in his previous fights to better prepare against the Australian fighter.

“[Brown] is a super hard worker and grinder. One thing that he brings in to the cage is a big gas tank and durability. He is tough,” said Camacho.

This will be Brown’s third time to fight in front of his hometown crowd after his split decision win against Jon Tuck of Guam (10-4, 4 KOs, 4-4 UFC) in UFC Fight Night 101 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne last year.

Although Camacho admits feeling the pressure of facing a partisan crowd in the Land Down Under, he has grown accustomed to it and learned how to control his emotions inside the octagon.

“There’s always pressure in any competitive sport. Over the years, I’ve been able to channel the pressure into the proper preparation and hard training to get ready for each fight. The goal is always to be the winner. I will give it my heart and soul every fight. As long as I do my job and what I’ve been working on day in and day out, I’m confident in having my hands raised,” he said.

Camacho added he is thankful to his team for helping him prepare for his second UFC fight.

“Every opportunity I have to represent my home islands is a blessing. I take it for what it is. I’ve worked hard to get here, I got to work harder to stay and climb the ranks. I’m blessed and fortunate to have a great team around me. My [mixed martial arts] team, Steel Athletics/Spike 22; my jiu-jitsu team, Purebred; home team, Trench Tech; Steve Oshiro for strength and conditioning, my wife, my family, and friends. I can’t ask for better people around me,” he said.

Camacho said his wife Sarah will be joining his team to Australia and they are expected to be flown directly to Sydney by UFC one week before the fight.

“To acclimatize ourselves, do press events, and get ready for the fight. We are in the same time zone so we are good to go. No huge or drastic change,” he said.

He then thanked all his fans for the love and support they’ve shown on social media.

“And for the handshakes at every store. It really motivates me and reminds me of the fighting spirit that I represent. I fly our flags high and always fight to my best ability. I’m prepared. I’m ready. I’m focused. I cannot wait to let these Chamorro islands fly high on Nov. 19,” Camacho said.

The Camacho-Brown fight will open up an 11-bout card that features former world heavyweight champions Marcin Tybura (16-2, 7 knockouts) of Poland and Brazilian Fabricio Werdum (22-7, 6 KOs) in the main event.