Crank: Next foe up to manager, UFC

Frank “The Crank” Camacho is still hoping to get the chance to face Diego “The Dream” Sanchez but insisted that the decision on finding his next opponent is up his manager and Ultimate Fighting Championship officials.

“I would love to fight Diego Sanchez next. I asked him on Twitter and it was cool he responded saying he likes the matchup. We’ll see what happens next,” Camacho (21-6, 15 knockouts) told Saipan Tribune. “But at the end of the day, it comes down to the managers and the UFC matchmakers to make it happen. There is a huge roster of fighters. We never know who the UFC will have me matched up against.”

Jason House of IridiumSports/Team Darkside manages Camacho, along with a number of UFC fighters and some NFL players.

Camacho plans to get back inside the octagon this summer, eager to secure a victory after a unanimous loss to Drew Dober in UFC on Fox 27: Jacare vs Brunson last month at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sanchez responded with a short “I like the matchup” message to Camacho a few hours after the Marianas bet’s fight against Dober (19-8, 4 KOs).

“I just got back to the islands and I miss the gym already. I had a good week off, now back to training. You’ll never know what could come up in the next few weeks,” said Camacho.

He signed a four-fight deal with the UFC and holds a 1-2 record after the loss to Dober. His three UFC bouts gave him Fight of the Night honors, earning him a good standing with the Las Vegas, Nevada-based organization.

House picked two of his opponents—Dober and Australian Damien Brown (17-12, 3 KOs). Camacho beat the Aussie by split decision in November last year. His first UFC fight was against Li Jingliang (14-5, 5 KOs) on June 17, 2017 and he was just a last-minute replacement when he fought the China Top Team fighter after Canada’s Jonathan Meunier (8-1) withdrew from the bout due to injury.

For his fourth fight or future UFC appearances, Camacho hopes to showcase his fighting skills in Las Vegas.

“It’s always been a goal to fight in Las Vegas. But, it’s totally up to the UFC. They have shows all over the world,” he said.

However, Camacho said he is always ready to represent the Marianas whether the fight would be in Las Vegas or anywhere else. “I think any fight in the UFC is truly a blessing. Doing what I love to do and to the best of my ability is always a blessing. Now, I just got to be ready for the opportunities to fly our flags and represent.”