EXCLUSIVE | ‘Breath of fresh air’ Juan Adams preparing to arrive at UFC Milwaukee

After getting a UFC contract following his win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series over Shawn Teed in July, heavyweight Juan Adams is finally ready to make his official UFC debut.

Adams will face Chris De La Rocha at UFC on FOX 31 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this Saturday and he has set some high goals for himself in his UFC debut. ‘The Kraken’ Juan Adams spoke about making his promotional debut, wanting to send his opponent into retirement, and extending a personal streak of his.

With the holidays around the corner, Adams says he’s looking to make this Christmas a little more special for his family. Facing the veteran De La Rocha, Adams says he’d like to make quick work of his opponent and possibly lead him into retirement.

“I’m just gonna go in there and put on a dominant performance,” Adams told BJPenn.com. “Christmas is coming up so I have to surprise the family.”

Having to wait on the sidelines after getting his win on Contender Series was rough for Adams, but he says he understands the process and is just happy to be back fighting again.

“At the end of the day I get paid to fight and if I’m not fighting, I’m not getting paid,” Adams explained. “It was a little frustrating to see other guys (Contender Series winners) getting fights, multiple fights, and I wasn’t getting one.

“I’m happy now that I got one. It’s been a process, but I wanted to fight three times this year and that’s happening now so I can’t complain.”

With a professional record of 4-0, Juan Adams is looking to extend not only his perfect record but also his finishing streak when he faces De La Rocha. In his first four fights, Adams has finished all four opponents by first-round KO/TKO and said he expects to do the same in his UFC debut.

“If you can finish a fight in the first round, that’s great,” Adams said. “My only issue with it is, I would like to test myself. Sometimes I feel like I’m being slighted by my opponents by them not being able to go a full fight, but I guess that’s a good problem to have.”

As he looks to make a dominant UFC debut Adams is in no rush to rise through the heavyweight division, welcoming the long road to the top of his division rather than getting shot up to the top right away.

“I’ve said before that the opponent doesn’t really matter to me,” Adams stated. “I know that I’m going to be the champion eventually, so I’m completely okay going one-by-one and fighting everyone in the division. I don’t want there to be any doubt that I’m the best of my time.”

In a division with so much uncertainty throughout between the contenders and those in the middle of the pact, Adams says he’s okay with the heavyweight veterans fighting it out over the next 2-3 years as he works his way up through the division.

Prepared to be patient and calculated in his move through the division, Adams sees himself as the ‘breath of fresh air’ that is needed among heavyweights.

“I believe from an athletic standpoint, a marketability standpoint, I think I bring something that the UFC and the heavyweight division needs. I’m young, I’m educated, I got a good look to me, and I think that’s what the UFC needs. They need polarizing fighters who are going to move the needle, and I believe I’m that.”

Knowing what he’s capable of and understanding the goals he has listed for himself, Adams says he’d like to prove something more to the UFC in his fight, showing that they’re putting their attention to the wrong guys in his division.

“I do believe that I’m the most talented and have the most upside in the division, so I want to prove to the UFC that they’re marketing the wrong people,” Adams said. “You know, they’re going to market Greg Hardy who at least has a 50-50 split on people who hate him, I’m at least 70-30. So I think I’m going to be a bigger star than all these guys. That’s how I see every fight, a chance to showcase myself.”

Speaking of the very controversial Greg Hardy, Adams says he isn’t shocked by the UFC’s decision to place him on the same card as Rachael Ostovich because he knows that controversy sells.

“Honestly I’m not shocked about it at all. controversy sells, publicity sells fights, and that’s all he is. Greg Hardy is a publicity stunt,” Adams stated. “He’s not talented, they’ve given him cans. They can do whatever they want with him, it doesn’t affect my paycheck. My issue with him was that he was using my nickname but he changed it so I don’t care about him.

“If we fight, I’ll show everyone the blueprint how to beat him. I don’t think they’ll ever book that fight, but if they do, it won’t be interesting, but it will be easy for me.”

Although Adams has said he doesn’t care about the opponent that is standing across from him, he is open and welcome to a fight against Hardy because he sees it as an easy opportunity.

“Yeah, it would be a good fight for me because it’s an easy payday,” Adams said. “He’s not talented. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. He relies on his athletic ability and as he gets older, that’s dwindling. If they want to give me a can and an easy payday, I’m all for it”

Knowing the knockout power that he has, Adams says he wouldn’t want to go in and get the job done early against Greg Hardy.

“I know I easily could, but I wouldn’t knock him out, I’d make him suffer for 13 minutes then finish the fight in the third round. I don’t know if he could take that much punishment though.”

A personality that is easily marketable because he’s not shy in front of a camera and not worried about any opponent placed across from him, Juan Adams believes that his UFC debut will show that he’s what is needed in a very jumbled heavyweight division.

When he steps into the Octagon at UFC on FOX 31, Adams apologies to fans who may root for another heavyweight, because they’re going to be just another victim to his rise in the new era of the heavyweight division.

on 12/12/2018