By Jay Leon Guerrero

Marianas’ own Frank ‘The Crank’ Camacho looks to bounce back from a loss in his previous PXC fight with a victory in this week’s PXC 49 scheduled for August 7th at the UOG Calvo Field House. Camacho (16-3 MMA, 4-2 PXC) will face a crafty veteran and Pancrase champion Kengo Ura from Japan.

Ura (13-9-2 MMA, 0-0 PXC) will be making his PXC debut and brings 12 years of professional MMA experience with him fighting the likes of UFC names Mike Swick and Jon Fitch.

“Kengo is a fighter with similar styles as myself. He likes to bite down on his mouthpiece and bring pressure early in the fight,” said Camacho. Camacho said that after his loss, he was not injured and he was eager to get in the cage. He contacted Cuki Alvarez back in his home in Saipan, got on the Rites of Passage 18 card and got a knock-out win over Japanese fighter Yasuaki Miura.

Immediately after the fight in Saipan, Camacho was told he would fight on the August 7th card at PXC 49.

“I actually learned just about two weeks ago that I would be fighting Kengo and I honestly was in shape and I’ve just maintained my training at Spike 22 with training partners like Roque Martinez, Ricky Camp, Kyle Aguon, Rob Alvarez, Ryan Bigler and Jon Tuck. I also train at the Purebred gym in Dededo for my jiu-jitsu,” said Camacho.

“First off, for everyone that continues to go and support PXC, thank you for continuing to watch the sport. There is a lot of good local fighters on the card and they ask that you come and support them. I’m personally looking forward to watching the Brogan Walker fight. Outside the gym she is a teddy bear and is always smiling, but when she puts on those gloves she is very tough,” said Camacho.

Camacho’s last victory in the PXC was in 2014 with a unanimous decision win over Keita Nakamura. (courtesy photo)

Did you know?

Before he got into MMA or got his nickname ‘The Crank’, Camacho dreamed of playing professional golf- yes, golf. “I was about five-years-old at the time and I was watching TV and I liked golf. We come from a middle class family but my parents supported me and got me some clubs and took me to the driving range,” said Camacho.

Up to his early teen years, Camacho practiced daily after school and got his handicap down to zero. “When I was very young, i was a little on the heavy side and my nose used to bleed so my mom didn’t get me into football or wrestling,” said Camacho. Camacho said that he played in Guam and Colorado and he wanted to play in San Diego at the Junior World Championships.

“My parents really invested in my game and the goal was for me to get into college under a golf scholarship,” said Camacho. But as he got into high school, he wanted to get into shape and went to the gym and discovered ‘NHB’ (no holds barred).

“I was hooked when I went into the gym and met Cuki Alvarez, Tetsuji Kato and Jason Tarkong. Before UFC, my dream was to get into Pride FC, my favorite thing was Vale Tudo and I really admired Fedor (Emelianenko) and Wanderlei (Silva).”

“After all this is said and done, I will eventually go back to Golf. My other favorite player was Tiger Woods. He dominated the game back when I was watching golf and he is my other favorite athlete.”

Giving Back and Giving Thanks

Camacho said that when he was growing up as a kid, there was no one of great influence that came to his school to talk about Stranger Danger or Anti-Bullying campaigns. “I have to thank Car Plus for allowing me to create my own schedule and train full time”.

Camacho said his new schedule flexibility allows him to go out and talk to kids. “I want to talk to the kids and tell them about these topics so if there are any teachers out there, please contact me so I can talk to the kids at the schools”.

“Thank you also to Monique Baza, for considering me to be the face of the Man Up Initiative which was created to stop violence against women. I’ve already taught one free women’s self defense classes to help her and her cause.”

Camacho said that he thanks his family, friends, and fans. “I’m really humbled at all the support you all have given me”. “I also have to thank my girlfriend, Sarah Filush, we are a team and this takes good teamwork,” said Camacho.

Tickets are on sale at ALL Circle K 76 locations, Andersen ITT and MWR, VIP tickets are available only at Cars Plus in Maite. Fight gates open at 5:30 pm, first fight is at 7:30 pm at the Calvo’s Field House in Mangilao.

Camacho spending time with the kids as part of Anti-Bullying campaigns. (courtesy photo)