With two wins in three fights, including one in his most recent bout against Damien Brown at UFC Fight Night 121 in November, welterweight Frank Camacho is pleased with how 2017 turned out.
“2017 overall was a very eventful year for me,” Camacho told MMAWeekly.com. “I had a tough fight in Saipan (in a win over Gun Hwan Park at Rites of Passage 21). Then I got called for the last-minute fight with Leech (Jingliang Li at UFC Fight Night 111) and we got Fight of the Night.
“I got the call against Damien Brown and I got the win against him; and that had Fight of the Year potential. It was a great year. I’m just super blessed to have experienced that.”
At UFC on FOX 27 in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday, Camacho (21-5) will get right back into action against Drew Dober (18-8) in a preliminary 170-pound bout. For Camacho only having a few months between fights is exactly what he was looking for.
“I’m very excited for the fast turnaround,” said Camacho. “After the Damien Brown fight I had no injuries at all and I jumped straight back into camp.
“I’m just so excited to implement stuff with my coaches that we really want to do. I’m kind of being labeled as this slugger and banger, but at the same time I have so much more tools in the toolbox. I just need to go and do it. With a quick turnaround fight, I’m so excited to show it and do it.”
When it comes to how he technically matches up with Dober, Camacho feels the best route to victory will be keeping his opponent guessing on what he is going to do throughout the fight.
“Drew is built like a wrestler, and he’s a kickboxer, and comes from a very good camp,” Camacho said. “He’s always in shape. I do not want to get kicked by him because his legs are tree trunks. I know he’s not afraid to throw with me.
“I’ve just got to play the game. I’ve just got to keep him guessing everywhere: takedowns, with strikes, takedowns, and the clinch. I have to have him fight my fight.”
Should Camacho pick up a win on January 27, he hopes it will earn him a shot to begin facing some of the toughest opposition the UFC has to offer in 2018.
“I want to fight three to four times this year,” said Camacho. “With this win over Drew, it would propel me hopefully towards potentially those Top 15 guys by the end of the year.”
