‘The Crank’ off to title bout in RP

The CNMI’s pride Frank “The Crank” Camacho took a big step for mix martial arts in the Commonwealth as he left yesterday afternoon for a title fight in the Philippines.

Fighting out of Trench Tech Purebred Saipan, the 17-year-old Camacho will face his toughest test yet as he battles undisputed champion Fritz Rodriguez of Gracie Barra Philippines in the “Universal Reality Combat Championships IV: Unstoppable” this Saturday at The Arena in San Juan, Metro Manila.

Whoever comes out on top will be the first-ever URCC light-heavyweight champion.

It will be a battle of unbeatens as Camacho enters with a perfect 5-0 win-loss record, while Rodriguez sports a 3-0 record. The bout will be the main event, with nine other fights preceding the clash.

In an interview, Camacho said he looks forward to the experience and hopes to represent the Marianas the best he could.

“I feel good and I feel ready,” he said. “I’ve been training with the best with Cuki [Alvarez] and Tetsuji Kato, and I’m just going to go out there and win or lose, I feel very confident and I’m going to go represent the islands because we got a lot of heart and I’m going to show them what we got.”

Alvarez, who along with Camacho’s dad, Frank Sr., accompanied the tough fighter, explained that while his fighter has been working relentlessly in training, the fight will be different compared to Camacho’s previous fights.

“It’s a proving ground and a test for him because you know we’re going to a big country and this is the biggest [MMA] show in the Philippines,” he said. “We just got the word right after Trench Warz, and so realistically, we had three weeks to properly train for it. [but] It’s enough time because Frank has been training prior to Trench Warz for his fight, so he was already in shape. The only change was to up the minutes because instead of the three five-minute rounds, he will now be fighting two 10-minute rounds. He’s adjusted very fast and very well and conditioning is one of his strong points.”

Despite the new format, Camacho said he is ready to give it his best.

“This fight is very different because its two 10-minute rounds, so I really picked up my level in training and I feel very in shape. I feel very strong, stamina is there, and I’m just going to let it rip,” he said. “I going to go out there and get some great experience, fight my hardest and try to bring that belt back. Win or lose, me and my opponent are going to be better fighters after and I think we’re both going to gain so much experience for bigger and better fights coming up.”

With Rodriguez holding a brown belt in jiu jitsu, Camacho also worked on his skills in the art, and recently went to Guam where he trained with Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt George Sotiropoulos, as well as sister school Spike 22 Purebred fighters Terrence Aflague and Steve Roberto.

It will be Camacho’s international debut as all his five wins have come competing in the four editions of “Trench Warz,” as well as “Spike 22 Fight Night” on Guam earlier this year.

No matter what the outcome, Camacho will come out a better fighter.

“We’re looking for the overall experience and fighting in front of a much bigger crowd,” Alvarez said. “As far as fight savvy and charisma, Frank has that, and it’s just going out there and giving him an opportunity to prove what he’s already good at. He’s definitely going to be a better fighter coming back no matter the result, but of course, we always looking to the ‘W’. [But] at the same time, we are competitive pracitioners and we understand that there’ always a possiblity he may lose, however, we train him to fight to win.”

Camacho made his MMA debut in November last year when he defeated Bernie “The Shadow of Death” Neth in the inaugural “Trench Warz.” He then returned on February of this year and beat Mike Camacho in “Trench Warz II: Caged In.” He then traveled to Guam for the Spike 22 event, and had a tough fight but won against Ace Mantanona before returning to Saipan and beating Robert Palacios in “Trench Warz III: Commotion.”

On Oct. 28, Camacho fought in a battle of undefeated fighters and kept his perfect record intact, while handing Guam’s Troy Munoz his first loss in “Trench Warz IV: Enter the Octagon.”

He also won a gold medal while representing the CNMI in wrestling in the 6th Micronesian Games.