‘Crank’ lands fight with ‘Sergeant’

Frank “The Crank” Camacho’s first fight of the season will come early as expected, as he will see action in the UFC Fight Night 153 on June 1 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Camacho, who re-signed a four-fight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship this year, will square off with Germany’s Nick “Sergeant” Hein in a lightweight bout.

“Nick Hein’s opponent (Italy’s Luigi Vendramin) got injured and I’m coming in as a replacement,” said Camacho, who incidentally started his series of appearances in UFC’s stage as a replacement for Jingliang Li’s foe in the UFC Fight Night 111 in Singapore two years ago. The Marianas warriors lost his debut, but won the respect of his peers and the UFC bosses after getting the Fight of the Night honors.

The 29-year-old Camacho will challenge Hein in a bid to improve his 1-4 record in UFC (21-7 overall) and get back on track after dropping his last two bouts. Camacho bowed to Drew Dober and Geoff Neal last year after beating Australian’s Damien Brown in November 2017 in Sydney.

“I’m on a losing streak, but I will not quit. And I will get a win through discipline, sacrifice, and will,” Camacho said.

“We must continue the good honorable fight and keep pushing forward. When we get knocked down, we continue to get back up and fight for our family and livelihood,” he added.

Hein is also looking to bounce back after losing to Davi Ramos and Damir Hadzovic last year. The German holds an even 3-3 record in UFC and 14-4 overall with his recent win made three years ago against South Korean Tae Hyu Bang. Majority of the 35-year-old’s victories were via decisions and he got three off rear-naked choke early in his MMA career.

“Nick Hein has a background in judo. He is a multiple national and international judo champion from Germany. He’s built like a tank and sure as heck seems like he hits like one. I just got to be smart with this fight and get the W,” said Camacho.

Though he will face Hein in less than a month, Camacho believes he is ready and in great shape, as he has been training since February and is in training camp in California under renowned coach Colin Oyama.

“I’m eating better, running a lot more, and treating and taking care of my body like an athlete,” Camacho said.

The MMA fighter added that he won’t mind filling in for Hein’s injured opponent.

“It is always an honor and pleasure to fight in the UFC, especially representing our islands at this level. I love it when UFC fans around the world would ask where I am from and what is that shell necklace (spondylus) I wear to weigh-ins. Even though it takes a while to explain where we live, I absolutely love it,” Camacho said.