HOUSTON – [autotag]Juan Adams[/autotag]’ most recent loss was difficult to handle, but he thinks it taught him the hard lessons necessary for his upcoming fight at UFC 247.
In July, Adams (5-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) competed in his most high-profile fight to date against former NFL standout Greg Hardy. There was a heated buildup to the fight, in which Adams frequently made reference to Hardy’s controversial past.
When fight night came, Hardy finished Adams with hammerfists in just 45 seconds.
“I was really emotional for that fight,” Adams told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I feel like I cared a little bit too much. I hyped it up a little bit too much in my head. It’s weird. My UFC debut, I was just happy to be there. Then, the next fight I really didn’t care all that much. I didn’t really feel anything going in there. It’s like I never turned on.
“Then, for the Greg Hardy fight, the whole eight weeks I never turned off. By the time I got to the cage, I guess I was just burnt out.”
Looking back, Adams admitted the lead-up was stressful. The emotion entering the fight ultimately led to a devastating feeling in the aftermath. Through this, Adams learned what not to do going forward and made adjustments to improve his mental health.
“I learned that I can’t fight from an emotional place,” Adams said. “I went and checked into therapy. I figured some stuff out with me. I figured out why I hyped that fight up so much in my head. I talked to a sports psychologist on top of everything. I did a lot of personal development in the last few months. That’s really been where I take this now. I’m not focusing on things that I can’t control.”
[lawrence-related id=486119,486117]
For UFC 247 fight camp, Adams said he’s maintained a specific mindset. He’s only focusing on two things: his weigh-in and his fight. Adams doesn’t want to allow for any distractions.
“This whole camp I thought, ‘Alright, there’s two things I know for sure,'” Adams said. “The weigh-ins happen. I have to make weight that day. Then I have to do one more job after that and that’s to fight. Those are the only two things I know for certain are going to happen. Anything that distracted me from that had to go – anything that came in or any type of little disagreement (or) whatever. However you want to phrase it. Anything that took away from my focus for those two things was eliminated. Everything else has been focused on developing myself as a better person and a better athlete.
UFC 247 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center. Adams will take on Justin Tafa (3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on the main card, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full UFC 247 pre-fight interview with Juan Adams in the video above.
[jwplayer OH6sncSh-RbnemIYZ]