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500 Years & 500 Seconds Interview with Frank “The Crank” Camacho w/ Fokai's Roman DLC

500 Years & 500 Seconds Interview with Frank “The Crank” Camacho w/ Co Founder of Fokai, Roman Dela Cruz.

On May 8, 2021, Frank Camacho had a video interview with the Co-Founder of Fokai Industries, Roman Dela Cruz. Roman Dela Cruz is one of the very close friends and seniors of Frank Camacho. Camacho has great respect, love, and admiration for Roman.

At the time of the interview, Camacho was in his fight training camp in Irvine, California. While Roman was in his home town in Guam. The primary concept of this talk was to get familiar with Camacho and his fighting ventures he gave to the people of Guam. Roman Dela Cruz of Fokai Industries, always wanted to have Frank Camacho on the deck with a lovely talk just to inspire the folks of Guam and the Marianas. Frank Camacho, Roman Dela Cruz, and Fokai Industries always strive and work hard to give Guam and the Mariana Islands its signature in the action sports in the world community.

From the start, it has been many things; among these thingsan imminent venture to present the native people of the Mariana Islands to the world as an intelligent, persevering, respectful, and respectable community. Since its inception, the organization has been blessed to have connected and gelled with good people and aims to extend and honor this blessing for a positively purposed, multi- faced formidable, and life-celebrating world community.

A memorable picture of Frank Camacho and Roman Dela Cruz, where Frank "The Crank" Camacho takes 24-hour runwalk challenge for Guam's homeless with Roman Dela Cruz and others.
A memorable picture of Frank Camacho and Roman Dela Cruz, where Frank "The Crank" Camacho takes 24-hour runwalk challenge for Guam's homeless with Roman Dela Cruz and others.

The conversation between these two gentlemen began with some entertaining and exciting catchwords. The discussion advances on covering some specific points regarding UFC fighters, articles related to them, and some other subjects.

Roman Cruz was off the point, he stated that " I never thought that I was the fighter, I've always thought that it was about the fighters and actually everybody is a fighter, but they're not necessarily fighting in martial arts or the competition, there is some kind of a fight and really that is ultimately what at the core of it that's what martial arts help you to do, it helps you to fight for better position, hopefully that position is rooted in better morals and better character."

While Frank Camacho highlighted that, "Yes, absolutely right. Even in the UFC where I fight or the whole roster fights with our hands, our feet, our knees, and our chokeholds and everything, we all have our different reasons for fighting."

"Yes, we do. I agree and that kind of fight begins when we are born right, we fight to see, we fight to breathe, we fight for the food, we fight for attention, and we fight for results, right. Some kind of results. And you know it's not I don't think fighting has ever started anywhere to make trouble. Fighting has always been just it's been like a struggle and a pursuit of a better position, right, correct! Maybe or maybe it's to defend your position or whatever", Roman Cruz.

Frank Camacho added, "Yes, exactly. Like even within the same realm of fighting, there are different battles."

Furthermore, they shared some memorable and fabulous words regarding Guam's fighters journal. Roman Cruz used to write bi-weekly writes up for this journal. In his pieces, he used to highlight the ultimate MMA fighters who fight abroad to make a name for themselves, for their country. These MMA fighters were mainly from Guam and Mariana Islands, fighting abroad for honor and pride.

Roman also mentioned that "In the past, the coverage of these fights was limited in Guam but now things are changed. We have to move forward, leaving the past behind. And I think you (Frank Camacho) are the best way to talk about the scenarios you're currently living in. The journey of a fighter, UFC fighter."

Frank Camacho added, "Those times were great. And, and that's what and that's why we're in tomorrow time."

They went to add their meaningful laughing colors to this discussion.

Roman Cruz asked some questions about his five-year time span as a diligent reader of the fighters journal and his written pieces. Plus, his experience with the public as an MMA fighter and what are his thoughts about Mariana Island rootings?

Frank Camacho answered in a very detailed way, said, "Wow, so crazy how much goes on in five years, uh, well personally, you know the goal out there, the reason why I dropped the ball on writing the articles was because that year was the year that I was called to be on the ultimate fighter and you know as a pro athlete that just kind of took over and then it just submerged me. I never got to the articles, next thing you know five years have passed, but I've been still training. I, I moved back home and just been building my name in the Guam Micronesia and Asian region, you know fighting with guys from Japan and fighting with guys from Korea because that was the plan the UFC was having fights in Asia about like seven or eight events at the time, like around 2013, 2014. What a way, what a perfect way for me to go under the radar instead of a very saturated fighter market in the states. To come back home, train back home, get rooted back in the culture and with the island, and build my name in this, in the Asian region, you know if there was a guy that they needed a last-minute replacement, my name would be at the top of the list for the last-minute call to fight in the UFC and hey that's what happened.”

Moreover, they both shared their thoughts on Camacho's upcoming bout against Matt Frevola on June 12, 2021.

Further, Roman Cruz asked some questions regarding mixed martial arts future possibilities in Guam and particularly in the Mariana Islands. He also included some more subjects in his above question by mentioning that what would be the larger picture of mixed martial arts excitement, interests, and marination in the Mariana Islands among the Marian island community?

Frank "The Crank" Camacho shared his thoughts on these questions as "Unfortunately, mixed martial arts as far as in Guam still need many sorts of revolutionary steps. The fighters, the practitioners, and the competitors are still too much behind. They are facing difficulties in training. It's becoming hard for them to train themselves as similar to training for a football game. I think this is not the way to go. We've to get ourselves higher, we've to push ourselves more and more and we've to train ourselves harder than a football training. We're in a different day and age. Now it's getting difficult to get to the status of a professional athlete even at the amateur level. I think our fighters and athletes in Guam need more self-motivation, they have to grow their athleticism more and more to translate themselves into mixed martial artists without any real avenue. I think it's quite difficult for a fighter to get fights in the countries like

Japan and Australia without any amateur fights and experience. And in the recent past, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen that many professional fights were paused and many UFC MMA events were dismantled. So this is another case for us. It's a sad one for me personally. Somehow, I've got a fight next month and still many more to come. But I know that I can contribute to my homeland when I'm done with my professional career. I mean I would love to develop these newcomers into exceptional and ultimate mixed martial artists when I get back home.

Moreover, Roman Cruz has discussed some insights into the future fighters of Guam and the Mariana Islands with Frank Camacho. They also highlighted a couple of mixed martial artists and jiu-jitsu competitors from Guam fighting pro fights abroad.

Roman Cruz and Frank Camacho also highlighted the most prominent mixed martial artists and their high-profile fights. They shared their thoughts on Filipino-American mixed martial artist Brandon "The Truth" Vera and the tournaments in Japan and China. While at the same time, Frank Camacho brings out the fight between the Croatian mixed martial artist Mirko Cro Cop and the French fighter Jérôme Le Banner. They stepped on each moment of that fight and went on laughing.

"As a fighter athlete, what is your goal?”, Roman Cruz.

"Yeah, as a fighter athlete competitor my goal is..... sorry...sorry... I hate to say that I've never strived hard for a dream of holding that belt after becoming a champion. I've worked hard, but I've always got everything just with my self-awareness, self-reflection, and the understanding of what actually I want to accomplish. I know when I was growing up and started martial arts for the first time, I came across sherdog.com and downloaded all the highlight reels of Wanderlei Silva. Watching him, knocking the people down with the head kicks, all were just crazy highlights. The countdown was started right from there. And those promotional events featuring BJ Penn when he was at his peak were just phenomenal for me. The chants of Hawaii, the chants of Hilo, all were due to his masterclass. He made a name for himself by his sheer commitments. He made his nation proud of him. Right from there, I've set a goal, an aim for me. And that goal was to fight for the Marianas. Whether it's a fight for the title or an ordinary UFC bout, I’ve to go there and fight. I’ve just made my mind that whatever it demands, I've to come down in the countdown for my Marian nation. This was my ultimate UFC goal."

Furthermore, Roman Cruz asked some questions related to Camacho's training and personal fitness and Camacho sincerely shared all that stuff with details. While Frank Camacho also clarified various questions of Roman Cruz concerning his fighting skills, his intelligent moves in the fights, and his skill practicing sessions.

There were also a couple of freaky questions that Roman Cruz asked Frank Camacho, but he was unable to answer them stating that "These are for the next meeting."

Both the guys started laughing and called the meeting off on the "Roger, Out!" call.