Franklin Beldad Camacho (born May 18, 1989) is a Chamorro

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

division. He was a 2010 Blue Belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World champion and a 2006 Micronesian Games wrestling gold medalist. He competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC).

Background

Camacho was born in

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

to Marcia and Francisco Muña Camacho. He was raised in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, where he is still based. He started playing

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

at a young age in hopes of competing professionally one day. However, he moved his attention to mixed martial arts (MMA), to shed some weight and get in shape, after watching UFC and

Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

events on television. He start training in MMA when he was fifteen years old, under the supervision of Tetsuji Kato and Cuki Alvarez of Trench Tech Purebred in Saipan. He competed in his first professional fight one year later.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Camacho competed mainly within and around the

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...

, particularly

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

and

, under promotions, such as Pacific Xtreme Combat, Rites of Passage, and Trench Warz. He maintained a 20–4 record prior to entering in the

Ultimate Fighting Champion The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

(UFC).

The Ultimate Fighter 16

Camacho was a participant in The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson in 2012, which was the sixteenth main installment of UFC-produced reality television series

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

(TUF). In his entry-round match against

Neil Magny Aoutneil Jacques "Neil" Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Magny made a name ...

, he lost via unanimous decision and was eliminated from the competition.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Four years after his appearance in TUF 16, Camacho received an opportunity to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC), replacing an injured Jonathan Meunier. He made his debut in the match against

Li Jingliang Li Jingliang ( Chinese: 李景亮; pinyin: Lǐ Jǐngliàng; born March 20, 1988) is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Originally from a small town near Tac ...

during UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia on June 17, 2017. Camacho lost the fight via unanimous decision, and earned his first UFC Fight of the Night bonus award. Camacho faced Damien Brown in a lightweight bout during UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura on November 19, 2017. Camacho weighed in at 160 pounds during weigh-ins, making him four pounds over the lightweight upper limit of 156 pounds. The bout proceeded as a

catchweight A catchweight is a term used in combat sports, such as boxing or mixed martial arts, to describe a weight limit that does not adhere to the traditional limits for weight classes. In boxing, a catchweight is negotiated prior to weigh-ins, which are ...

and he forfeited 30% of his purse to Brown. He won the fight via split decision. This win earned him his second Fight of the Night bonus award. Camacho took to

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

after the match, asking UFC President

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

to give his US$50,000 bonus prize to Brown. Camacho believed he was not eligible for the prize because he did not meet the weight requirement for the division. Camacho became one of five fighters in UFC history to earn back-to-back Fight of the Night awards to start off their UFC career. Camacho faced

Drew Dober Andrew Martin Dober (born October 19, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2009, he has also formerly competed for ...

during UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2 on January 27, 2018. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him his third Fight of the Night bonus award in as many fights, making him one of two fighters to start their UFC careers with three consecutive Fight of the Night bonus awards. Camacho faced Geoff Neal during UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till on September 8, 2018. He lost the fight via knockout. Camacho faced

Nick Hein Nick Hein (born April 24, 1984) is a German retired mixed martial artist and actor, who is best known for appearing in the German television show '' Diese Kaminskis''. Before Hein became an actor, he was also a national judo champion and police o ...

in a lightweight bout during UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith on June 1, 2019. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Camacho faced

Beneil Dariush Beneil Khobier Dariush (born May 6, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from ...

during UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren on October 26, 2019. He lost the fight via submission in round one. Camacho was billed as a short-notice replacement to face Alan Patrick on April 25, 2020. However, on April 9,

announced that this event was postponed to a future date. Camacho was then scheduled to face

Matt Frevola Matthew Kenneth Frevola (born June 11, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also competed for the Wor ...

during UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov on June 20, 2020. However, it was revealed on June 18 that Frevola was removed from the bout after one of his cornermen tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Instead, Camacho faced promotional newcomer Justin Jaynes at the event. At the weigh-ins on June 19, Camacho missed weight, coming in at 158 pounds, two pounds over the non-title lightweight limit of 156 pounds. The bout proceeded as a catchweight and Camacho was fined 20% of his purse. Camacho was defeated via first-round technical knockout. Camacho was scheduled to face Brok Weaver during UFC Fight Night 177 on September 12, 2020. However Camacho was removed from the bout during the week leading up to the fight after testing positive for COVID-19. Weaver instead faced

Jalin Turner Jalin Turner ( ; born May 18, 1995) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional from 2016 to 2025, he also competed for Bellator MMA, ...

. Camacho was scheduled to face

on June 12, 2021, at UFC 263. However, Camacho pulled out of the fight during the week leading up to the event after he was involved in a traffic accident in

Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...

, that left him with non-life-threatening injuries to his back and neck. In turn, Frevola faced promotional newcomer

Terrance McKinney Terrance Kitarius McKinney (born September 15, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2017, McKinney also compet ...

instead. Camacho faced Manuel Torres on May 14, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 36. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. On June 8, 2022, it was confirmed that Camacho was no longer on the UFC roster.

Personal life

Camacho gained his moniker “The Crank” after a fight announcer introduced him by rhyming “crank” with his first name, Frank. Since then, he has opted to keep the name. Camacho is married to Sarah Filush Camacho. They have a son named Franklin Muña Camacho Jr, another son and a girl Catalina (born 2021).

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

*First International MMA Champion Saipan

* Fight of the Night (Three times) vs

, Damien Brown and

**Tied (

Yoshihiro Akiyama , also known as and by his nickname Sexyama, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka who won the gold medal at the 2001 Asian Championships for South Korea and for Japan at the 2002 Asian Games. He is the former K-1 HERO's Light Heavyw ...

and Justin Gaethje) for most consecutive Fight of the Night Awards to begin a UFC career (3) **UFC.com Awards ***2017: Ranked #5 Fight of the Year ***2018: Ranked #9 Fight of the Year

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

*2010 BJJ World Champion *2013 European Jiu-Jitsu Championships Silver Medalist *2013 Marianas Open Absolute Champion *New York Jiu-Jitsu Championships Bronze Medalist *2014 Marianas Open Brown Belt Open Absolute Winner *Abu Dhabi Pro Trials Bronze Medallist *European Jiu-Jitsu championship Silver Medallist *Pan American BJJ Championship Medallist *Asia Open BJJ Championship Gold Medallist *Micronesian Games Wrestling Gold Medallist

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 22–10 , Manuel Torres , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–8 ,

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, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:56 ,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 , Geoff Neal , KO (head kick) ,

UFC 228 ''UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on September 8, 2018 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Welterweight ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–5 , Damien Brown , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 20–4 , Gun Hwan Park , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Rites of Passage 21 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:51 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 19–4 , Hyun Joo Kim , TKO (punches) , Rites of Passage 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–4 , Han Seul Kim , TKO (punches) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 54 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Mangilao Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has decreased slightly since the island's 2010 census. Cliffs lie along much of the village's shoreline provide dramatic views, including ...

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Tyrone Jones , TKO (punches) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 50 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:59 ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Kengo Ura , KO (punch) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 49 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Yasuaki Miura , TKO (punches) , Rites of Passage 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–3 , Yusuke Kasuya , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 47 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Jae Woong Kim , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Trench Warz 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 ,

Keita Nakamura is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and grappler currently competing in the Welterweight division of RIZIN. A professional competitor since 2003, he has formerly competed for the UFC, World Victory Road, Pancrase, Shooto, DREAM, ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 42 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Koshi Matsumoto , KO (punch) , Pacific Xtreme 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:24 ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , James Jones , KO (punch) , UWC 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is pa ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 , Caloy Baduria , TKO (punches) , URCC 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Philippine census, 2020 census, it has a ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Ryan Bigler , Decision (split) , URCC 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Guam , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 ,

Luigi Fioravanti Luigi Fioravanti (born January 22, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2016. A professional since 2004, he is perhaps best known for competing in the UFC, but has also fought for M-1 Global and the Maximum Fighting Cham ...

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , PX 12: Settling the Score , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , B.J. Taisacan , TKO (retirement) , Trench Warz 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Carlos Eduardo Santos , TKO (punches) , Geran Haga: Blood Wars 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Agana, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Roy Reyes , TKO (knees) , Rites of Passage 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , John Ogo , TKO (strikes) , PXC 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Nathan Hanson , KO (punch) , Trench Warz 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:45 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Fritz Rodriguez , TKO (punches) , URCC 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Troy Munoz , TKO (punches) , Trench Warz 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Robert Palacios , TKO (punches) , Trench Warz 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:08 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mike Camacho , TKO (knees) , Trench Warz 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:16 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Bernie Neth , TKO (submission to slam) , Trench Warz 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

, Northern Mariana Islands , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Camacho, Frank Living people 1989 births Guamanian male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Chamorro people People from Hagåtña, Guam People from Saipan Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters