Frank Camacho plans to stop a “Steamrolla” at UFC on ESPN 11
Frank Camacho is taking Matt Frevola’s nickname seriously.
Currently on a two-fight win streak, Frevola is known as the “Steamrolla.” The two lightweights will meet at UFC on ESPN this Saturday, June 20.
Camacho likes to push the pace with three “Fight of the Night” bonuses to his name. Knowing Frevola likes to scrap too, Camacho’s plan is to slow down his opponent.
“His name says it all,” Camacho said. “How do I match up with that? I got to go in there and fricken punch him in the face to make him stop.”
When it comes to this fight, Camacho is more than pleased with the UFC matchmakers.
Camacho won nine of his last 11 fights by finishing his opponents. The Guam native quickly built a reputation inside the octagon by fighting Jingliang Li in his UFC debut, going the full three rounds in a short-notice fight. He lost by unanimous decision, but still earned his first UFC bonus.
Camacho then defeated Damien Brown by decision in November 2017 and lost to Drew Dober via decision in January 2018. He earned two more “Fight of the Night” bonuses in those bouts.
With Camacho and Frevola sharing similar styles, Camacho expects an action-packed bout.
“The matchmakers know what they are doing with this fight,” Camacho said. “I feel like if you’re in the UFC and you see my name on the contract, you’re going to be like, “Oh shit, OK, his record is not that great, but f***. It’s going to be a tough fight.”
Fight of the Night
Camacho is uninterested by a fourth “Fight of the Night” bonus.
He prefers a “Performance of the Night.” Camacho is tired of taking punishment, but realizes it may be hard to avoid against someone like Frevola.
Camacho earned three-straight “Fight of the Night” bonuses after making his UFC debut in June 2017. After going 2-4 since joining the UFC in June 2017, he is always up for an exciting fight.
“Truthfully, I’m not trying to get no ‘Fight of The Night’ either, it’s just oh my god, so much punishment. Give me ‘Performance of the Night,’” Camacho said. “I have a really shitty record in the UFC, but I always bring it. I promise I’m not trying to get punched in the face, it happens a lot, but I am trying to go out there and win fights, I love exciting fights.”
Task at hand
Frevola rebounded from a rough 2018 campaign with wins over Luis Pena and Jalin Turner. He suffered his first career loss, a first-round knockout to Polo Reyes at UFC Fight Night 124 in January 2018. He then fought to a majority draw against Lando Vannata at UFC 230 in November 2018.
Frevola has gone to a decision in his last three performances, but has finished four of his eight opponents. Camacho is well aware who he is up against.
“I would like to say first-round knockout, first-round finish, but man, he’s [Frevola] a tough fricken guy,” Camacho said. “I just got to go out there and I got to earn it.”
Up for the fight
Camacho is currently 1-1 since making his UFC lightweight debut in June 2019. There’s no such thing as an easy fight for “The Crank,” who suffered three of his four losses to currently ranked opponents in their respective divisions.
He most recently lost by first-round submission loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC on ESPN+20 in October 2019.
“Thinking about it now, that’s kind of crazy, I fought some pretty tough guys,” Camacho said. “It’s very humbling. Maybe it’s coming from a very small place, from a small island and seeing the potential of them matching me up with guys like that.”
Camacho and Frevola will meet inside a 25-foot octagon in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout is part of the preliminary card.
Camacho prefers getting in and out, but realizes the matchup. With two guys known for coming forward, fighting inside a smaller cage, Camacho expects a scrap.
“What I love is the cage is smaller and it’s going to force us to fight even more,” Camacho said. “I just got to bring my A game, stick to my guns and really impose my will.”
