LJ Adams is a female fighter with an MMA record of 1-1. She trains out of Olympians MMA in Bristol. Adams recently signed with Cage Warriors Fighting Championship and also has a fight coming up against Kerry Hughes at UCMMA 35, which takes place at London’s Troxy on Saturday, August 3rd. We got the chance to catch up with LJ to discuss her new Cage Warriors deal, the upcoming bout against Hughes, training and much more.

Jay Cee: Firstly, I want to say congratulations on your new deal with Cage Warriors. I know you have got a couple of fights before you begin working with them, but how does it feel to be part of such a big promotion?

LJ: Its feels great! There is so much opportunity with Cage Warriors that I am happy to be apart of the promotion. Setting up four women’s divisions will have such an impact on female MMA in Europe and give us all a fantastic stage to show what we can do.

Jay Cee: Considering that you have only been fighting professionally since 2012, were you surprised to have received the call so early in your career?

LJ: Yes, completely surprised. I still have a lot to learn as a fighter and really did not think any promoter would be offering me a contract just yet. However, getting fights can be such a lottery that now this will give me some guarantee with my matches and getting to face some of the best talent in Europe. This will now allow me to build myself up as a professional athlete with lots of opportunity to be active within the cage.

Jay Cee: You lost your last fight against Lina Akhtar Lansberg via unanimous decision, did you agree with the judges?

LJ: Fighting Lina was a great experience and she is a very good fighter. I didn’t however agree with the judges, yes it was a well matched fight, but I beat her.

Jay Cee: What did you learn from that fight?

LJ: Don’t leave the judges with any doubt on who the winner is! I also learnt a lot about being a professional athlete, how to deal with big events, travelling while doing a weight cut and dealing with being in a foreign country.

Jay Cee: You have a fight coming up against Kerry Hughes at UCMMA 35, do you know much about your opponent?

LJ: I have watched Kerry’s fights and I know exactly what to expect, someone very aggressive and committed to her game plan.

Jay Cee: How is the training camp and preparation going for this fight?

LJ: Preparation has been very intense as it always is when training for a fight. It started off for me while in Hong Kong and Thailand, so I was able to focus solely on my striking and getting to do my conditioning on the beach was amazing. Since being back my coaches have been very precise with my training and sticking to drilling and sparring how the fight will go.

Jay Cee: What gym are you currently training at?

LJ: My gym is Olympians MMA in Bristol.

Jay Cee: What coaches and fighters have you been working with?

LJ: Paul Reed is our Head Coach and oversees all the pro fighters training, formulating game plans and making sure we do all the right sessions each week. Wez Murch owns Olympians MMA and he is also our MMA coach, he works along side Paul with all our training. Josh Saidi is our Wrestling coach, his transfer of wrestling to MMA is outstanding and he loves suplexing us all over the mats. Chris ‘Skimmer’ Winters runs the boxing at the gym and is great when needing the boxers to come give us MMA guys a lesson in striking. We also train down at Pedro Bessa BJJ Academy, he is a fantastic teacher and his guys are awesome to roll with. I have also just started to work with Paul Moylett who has brought some great ideas to develop my striking. Guy Lewis is not only my suffering Boyfriend but my Strength and Conditioning coach. He has been very influential in my athletic developments and not only does he write all my S&C programs, but manages my work load, training week and nutrition. I owe a lot to the above guys and all my training partners at Olympians MMA, its a very hard working team but also great fun!!

Jay Cee: Aside from Mixed Martial Arts, what do you like to do in your spare time? Any hidden talents or hobbies?

LJ: I really do struggle for time when preparing for a fight, as I also work full time. However I am focusing very hard on becoming a high performance rugby coach and my team is premiership side Bristol ladies. In the last year my coaching has now started to allow me to work with the England Women Rugby team. I used to ride horses and this is something I really do miss as a hobby, and if I get the chance I will go riding. The rest of my spare time is taken up with catching up with my friends and family, who I really don’t get to spend anywhere near as much time with as I would like.

Jay Cee: Ok, great. Thanks for taking some time to talk with me LJ and good luck for the future. If there are any sponsors or people you would like to shout-out or thank, please go ahead and do that now….

LJ: I would like to thank ShieldWall MMA who are a fantastic clothing company and will be doing my fight outfit for UCMMA. Funky Gums for their awesome mouth pieces. Paul Reed for your limitless time and effort you put into my career. Wez Murch for all his advice and having such an awesome gym and team for us all to be apart of. My parents who are supportive in everything I do. My friends, this is a massive thank you for putting up with me not always being able to be at things. Finally, my hugely supportive Boyfriend Guy Lewis, for not only making me into the best possible athlete but also for putting up with me for 8 weeks before a fight!!

Thanks again to LJ Adams for the time, I appreciate it.

Be sure to follow LJ on Twitter: @LJAdams3

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