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‘The Crank’ sees interesting fight vs Jones
Frank “The Crank” Camacho is expecting an interesting fight when he faces Tyrone “Bones” Jones two weeks from now for the vacant Pacific Xtreme Combat lightweight belt in PXC 50 at the University of Guam Calvo Fieldhouse in Mangilao.
Frank “The Crank” Camacho, left, tries to get out of South Korean Jae Woong Kim’s take down attempt in this file photo taken in their main event match of Trench Warz 18: Rock & Rumble. Camacho, who defeated Kim, is aiming for another victory when he takes on former sparmate Tyrone “Bones” Jones in next month’s Pacific Xtreme Combat 50 at the University of Guam Calvo Fieldhouse. (Jon Perez)
Camacho (17-3, 13 knockouts), in an email to Saipan Tribune, said he holds Jones (5-4, 3KOs) in high regard after training with him a couple of times at Guam Muay Thai, his opponent’s home gym.
“I’m honored to fight a guy like Tyrone Jones. He’s from Guam and it is kind of cool to be fighting for the PXC lightweight championship against another local boy,” Camacho told the Saipan Tribune.
“I know Tyrone Jones really well actually. I’ve even trained with him a couple of times at Guam Muay Thai. Outside the cage, he is a modest guy. It’s hard to come around [mixed martial arts] fighters like that nowadays,” he added.
It will be a clash of different combat styles when the opening bell rings on Dec. 4, Friday, with Camacho being known for his boxing skills against a known Muay Thai fighter like Jones.
“As far as his game goes, he is a tough opponent. I like to describe him having a very ‘grinder’ style in fighting. He is a technically sound with his striking, wrestling, ground game, and puts it all together in a high pressure game,” Camacho said.
A grinder, according to TrenchTech promoter Cuki Alvarez, is a fighting style that always pushes forward and never gives up.
The 26-year-old Camacho said striking won’t be an issue with him and Jones especially with the latter holding his training camp at Guam Muay Thai.
“Tyrone has power in both hands and has a very pressing forward type of fight in him. He comes from a very good stand up camp at Guam Muay Thai so striking won’t be an issue with him,” added the fighter who was born in Guam but grew up on Saipan.
“Everyone knows I love to keep the fight on the feet using more of my boxing style. So it’s going to be interesting having a boxing style versus a Muay Thai kickboxing style. He cleared everyone on his side of the division and so did I, and now we’re facing each other as the co-main event.”
Camacho is on a two-fight winning streak, beating two Japanese where he showed his punching power in two separate MMA events on Saipan and in Guam this year. Both fights did not last one minute of the first round.
He only needed 34 seconds in dispatching Yasuaki Miura by TKO in Rites of Passage 18: Warpath in July 3, 2015 and followed it up with a KO win over Kengo Ura with only 37 seconds gone in the first round of PXC 49 in August.
Camacho is aiming to win the PXC lightweight belt against Jones, a victory that would put him closer of reaching his goal of fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, MMA’s grand stage.
Jones, on the other hand, has won his last two fights in 2015 after losing to Seung Chan Hong (5-1 with 3 KOs) in last year’s PXC 45. He then bounced back with a KO victory (elbows and punches) against CNMI bet Peter Cepeda (1-3, KO) in PXC 47 on March 13.
His most recent win was by KO (slam) over Japanese Takayuki Kobayashi (6-8, 3 KOs) in PXC 49 last Aug. 7, 2015 as one of the undercard bouts of the Brogan Walker-Gabby Romero flyweight headliner.
