Juan Adams fought in UFC and will debut in another major promotion Saturday at a BKFC Prospects event.
But it’s never been about the promotional banners for Adams, who’s tried to fight as much as possible in recent years despite also juggling a gig as an eighth grade science teacher.
Adams, now 32, was released from the UFC in February 2020 on a three-fight skid that included losses to Arjan Bhullar, Greg Hardy, and Justin Tafa. He’s gone 5-3 since, including a 1-1 record in PFL and a brief stint as Fury FC heavyweight champion.
Big events are cool and represent success, but the pursuit of self-betterment remains Adams’ driving factor. In his mind, simply put: it’s about having fun. That’s the void that BKFC filled recently.
“It’s been too long,” Adams recently told MMA Junkie. “I was trying to get in jiu-jitsu tournaments. I was pretty much trying to accept fights against whoever would fight me. Nobody wanted to really step up. I was going to fight with Fury. The plan was to fight Robelis Despaigne in January, but he signed with the UFC. … That put me in the position where I just really needed a fight.
“Bareknuckle had the tryout, so I went to it. My thing is that I just love to fight. I don’t care what type of combat sport it is, as long as I’m getting to compete. I wanted to compete. I went to the tryouts. They said they had this series coming up, so I figured I’d do it and give it a shot. I did. I’m super excited about it.”
Like many fighters who fall on hard times in terms of wins and losses, Adams experienced criticism and doubt from the fanbase. His stalwart self-belief continues to push him forward, though.
“For every negative thing about me, there’s a lot more positive,” Adams said. “I guarantee these people talking crap online can’t do anything about it, but that’s kind of the society we live in. Everyone wants to be a critic. Everyone has the ability to go into a platform, surround themselves with a bunch of yes-people and live in an echo chamber. That’s cool. If that’s where you’re at in life and that’s your level of awareness, go for it. But I’ll tell you straight-up you’re never going to amount to anything doing that. That’s OK. There’s a reason you’re watching and I’m doing. If people can’t understand that, if you don’t have the balls to put your money where your mouth is and you don’t have the ability to go in there to do it, who are you to criticize us?”
Adams will fight fellow bareknuckle debutant Matt Adams on Saturday at BKFC Prospects Fight Night in Albuquerque, N.M. Win or lose, Adams isn’t sure about where the performance will land him, but an MMA return is likely sooner or later.
“(The UFC) is definitely somewhere I’m hungry to get back to,” Adams said. “It’s just that there seems to be no interest in me from them. They told me to go out and win a couple fights. I had five finishes on the local circuit. I lost a fight to Austin Lane and he’s in the UFC now. I was winning that fight the entire time. The canvas was super wet. I slipped and the ref stopped it. … That’s kind of one of those things where I know I’m right there. … As long as I don’t allow things to cloud my focus, I feel like I’m one of the best in the world.
“… If it never comes again, I’m at peace with that. I would like for it to happen again, at least go back there and even out my record with that promotion. I don’t like leaving things on bad terms. I really don’t like leaving on a loss. But if that’s the only option I’m given, I can’t dwell on it. I’m not going to allow it to eat me up. It does suck. Am I hungry for it? Yes.”
Adams doesn’t intend to stop fighting any time soon. When that day comes, however, Adams hopes to have himself set financially and professionally. He currently teaches eighth grade science and plans to get a teaching certification soon.
“A lot of people will look at me and think I got to where I was just because I’m an athlete or because I had a big body or whatever. That’s not really the case,” Adams said. “The reality is that I would’ve never found wrestling if I hadn’t gone to this school that I went to for high school. I went to that school because I was smart. I got a really good score on an entrance exam. I got a scholarship to a college prep school. There was this wrestling sport that I had never seen before that kind of looked like fighting.
“… The easiest way I can break it down is that nobody likes stupid people. Nobody likes being around them. Stupid people are there. They either entertain you or irritate you. Whatever side you fall on, who am I to criticize someone for being stupid? All I can do is try to educate them, try to help them be better. It’s a way for me to walk my talk. It’s a way for me to really embody the change I want to see in the world. I feel if more people were educated, we wouldn’t have the problems we have today.”
