All right, welcome to the Ocean Water Podcast, the voice for Indigenous Water Rights. I'm
here with one of my best friends today, Adam Watts. And just so I get his professional
accomplishments correct, I'm going to let him just go over real quick. You have the
floor, brother.
Nothing like getting put on the spot to brag about yourself.
I know that goes against how we grew up, but it's a new world, dude. So I need you to just
rattle off your resume for a second.
Okay. Well, I was a professional MMA fighter. I'm a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a
checkmate black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I won the, for my age and weight class, I
won the world. I'm a two-time world champion, a gi and no gi world champion. I won the national
championships twice and I'm a Pan-American finalist as well. So yeah, I also own an MMA
gym in Sacramento. And I now have been just transitioning from fighting to more coaching.
So now I have a professional fight team, a coach team, I mean, amateur team and a competition
team as well. So yes, it's fun life, brother.
Such a good dude. And also you and Mark now own Sir Coffee together in San Clemente as
well. Adam's got a wonderful family with Julie and Kingston and Kinsley. And it's just an
honor to have you on, bro. But let's start with a little bit of fun. Thanks for sharing
that. I know that's not really your Steve. I appreciate it. Just want to provide a little
context for everyone who would be listening, you know, just like for the first time. But
do you need a favor and what's your like, your go to order at your favorite restaurant
here in town? Man, you know, it kind of depends on what's
day of the week. I have so many different restaurants I like and I have my, you know,
if I'm training or if I'm not training meals, you know, so when I'm when I'm in the middle
of training and I'm and I'm really watching what I eat, what I eat, we definitely like
to go over to active culture and get like a nice a nice salad or or an organic veggie
burger or something like that, which is really good. That's really hard to beat. But then
sometimes also on my cheat days, you know, it's really hard to beat a good guichos, a
good guichos, some meatballs over at guichos, some good Italian food over there. And or
when me and my wife go out to dinner, we always we always end up usually going out to out
to Nicks. You know, it's really hard to beat that, too. So those are my those are my usually
we kind of stick with those ones. And yeah, it kind of depends on if I'm training or if
it's if it's a cheat day. So I know Julie eats, eats clean, too. And she she she runs.
I'll be like out on a bike ride. I'll go like on a 25 mile bike ride and your wife will
be in the middle of a 25 mile run. So she she eats super clean and as well. But Adam,
do me a favor and tell tell everybody like what you're doing these days and sort of take
a couple of minutes like how you got in. How did you get into, you know, originally like
the MMA world, the Jiu Jitsu world? Like how did you get into that?
Well, originally, I was bullied. I was a little kid. You know, I was a little guy that get
puberty really late. And and so I was I was just a little runt, you know, when I was in
high school, I think I was 72 pounds. I was the littlest kid, I think, and one of the
littlest kids in the whole high school. And Kingston, when he was in sixth grade, he was
like 80 pounds. He was bigger in sixth grade than I was as a freshman. You know, so, you
know, I got bullied. And from there, I, you know, I wrestled in high school. And that
kind of developed in my and then my my stepdad, who was just an awesome guy. And when my mom
married him, he boxed from England. He was a boxer, a little guy, too, as well. So he
knew how to box. And so he he started teaching me boxing in high school as well. So I wrestled
and boxed in high school. So that was kind of already like the start of of my of mixed
martial arts a little bit. And one of the guys that I used to always be able to take
down all the time in high school, he started jujitsu a little bit before me. And we you
know, we're all we're all in that nine early 90s era when we fight with UFC one, two and
three came out. So, you know, we're in the same same same scene. I was like, what was
that new stuff? That's called Brazilian jujitsu. And when my friend actually started doing
it before me, and I saw his little double leg and I shot a double on him and he got
me to guillotine choke and choked me out almost and I was like, what was that? And he was
like, Brazilian jujitsu, my friend. And I was like, man, I need to learn that stuff.
You know, and so from there, I started training in jujitsu in the in the late 90s, 95 9697,
but really didn't take it serious and sit till like the early 2000s 98 2000. And then,
and then from there, I, you know, I started training every day, you know, I was in, there
was very few Americans doing it at that time, you know, so you're just a, you know, it was
the, the ones that were like woven from a certain fabric who could kind of take the
beating because it was all Brazilians, you know, doing Brazilian jujitsu and they didn't
they didn't really speak any English, there was no YouTube channel where you could YouTube
where you can go watch like instructional videos or there was no you can even bring your record
you can even bring your camcorder into the tournaments to record the matches because
they didn't want you recording their secret moves or or anything like that everything
you had to learn was either by getting smashed by them if you were even lucky enough to
know a Brazilian to teach you or or just things that you would learn like at tournaments by
watching and actually really remembering or sneak sneaking in your little camera or whatever.
That's how a lot of it ended up being a lot of the guys who sneak in their cameras and
then when iPhones came out, that was a big change because all of a sudden now they couldn't
force you to keep your camera out and you could record it with your phone and then and
then all of a sudden the progression of martial arts or jujitsu started happening and then
for me I was already teaching jujitsu at a place up here in in in San Clemente and that
was called OC Dojo and I was way ahead of its time in the early 2000s 2004.
I actually went up there I got invited up there I was training jujitsu already for years
now there was very many there wasn't that many people training at that time and I went
up there and trained Rick Bassman who owns OC Dojo was he was just a famous promoter
and manager managed like Tank Abbott and Boss Ruth, Don Frye, Dan Severn and all sorts
all sorts of different professional fighters and I went up there just for a class and and
they came out after one day of rolling and they're like Adam would you like to teach
you jujitsu for us and so I ended up teaching there numerous pro fighters through the gym
and and then from there I started coaching all these providers and then and I was and
then you know meeting pro fighters here and there on the mat all the time and and and
then I had a boxing coach there too was coach Jan who's actually my partner now coach Jan
awesome awesome guy in the fight world and that's where we met there and I'd always be
teaching jujitsu and be watching the boxing class and he'd be teaching boxing and watching
the jujitsu classes so we'd be watching each other and so I started working on my my standup
game perfecting it a lot more like on the professional level with him and and then the
guys that I was training in jujitsu that were already fighting and then I would catch and
beat they're like Adam you're beating me why aren't you fighting you know I was going to
school at the time and and and then next thing you know I graduated I you know I got a degree
in education and a minor in child development from school and right when I graduated from
college they had the like the 14 million dollar budget cut and laid off like 30,000 teachers
it was like the you know it was it was like the worst time to get into like the teaching
field you know it's like man this is that's what my profession is in is in and they're
just laying off all these people so I actually got into mortgage loans and and I did it I
was actually doing quite well I was doing really well at it and you know I'm I'm a people
person I could talk but I didn't feel comfortable doing that I just can I could tell it just
wasn't for me you know and it just wasn't you know and and so I just I decided that
you know I'm just gonna put all my eggs in one basket I'm gonna teach you jujitsu I stepped
away from from doing mortgage loans and I and I and I started fighting professionally
you know I wanted to get some fights in and that's how my my transition into into the
fight world happened you know and you know that was that was that was a journey in itself
you know I I only had two pro fights you know but I had a bunch of training camps I had
my first fight and back then you know early 2000 there was no amateur league so you just
went straight to pro you know I of course I had like a bunch of like like smoker fights
where we'd travel at other gyms and you know they challenge but you know getting ready
for you say of your it's a sparring match but it was like basically a fight you know
I did numerous ones of those with all sorts of different guys but my first pro fight was
on paper view on King of the cage and with like nam chan all these guys that made it
to the UFC and and and I and I just had my son Kingston so I was this is what's funny
I'm training at OC dojo OC dojo goes out of business they're 1099 I put all my eggs into
one basket now I'm not doing mortgage loans anymore I basically lose my job at OC does
and I'm and I just had Kingston my first boy and and now I'm like okay I have no money
I can't I'll file for unemployment and and these guys were gonna pay me like you know
like you know a good amount of money for this fight and so I was I ended up I was like you
know I'll fight you know so I go to fight and then all of a sudden that weigh-ins the
opponent something happens with his with his uh medicals or something and and they tell
me that uh you're you're scratched off the fight card Adam since you actually never officially
weighed in it was it never was official and so you don't actually we don't actually have
to pay you and at that point I already took money I was borrowing money from my friends
you know knowing that I'm gonna get paid some money and uh and uh and then all of a sudden
I wasn't getting gonna get paid anything you know so I'm sitting backstage you know and
um just like just like sitting over there crying and um and all of a sudden they come
up to me they're like you haven't left you great they're all they had this guy I was
supposed to fight at 155 I walked around like 180 185 but I went out fight prod fight at
155 so it was a 12-week fight camp getting ready for that you know uh and uh and then
all of a sudden they come back to me they're Adam this guy at 170 his opponent got injured
or he didn't get cleared his medicals didn't get cleared either and this is before there
was like there was any rules or regulations you know they can kind of get away with this
back in the early 2000s they're like would you want to fight him you know at 170 we'll
still pay you what we're gonna pay you and at that time at that point I was like man
I'll fight anybody I need this money so bad I just had my boy I was just like you know
so I went out and I and I fought this guy and the first guy I was fighting for you got
12 weeks to train for him and you know he backs out and then or what happened and then
this new guy fight at 170 is cutting down from like 210 pounds you know he's this huge
you know and and we get in the ring and I'm and I and I at weigh-ins they said you have
to weigh at least 162 to be in the 170 class you can't beat so I had to put I'm trying
to pound water now to get that I was I was gonna make 155 you know so now I'm trying
to gain like seven pounds of water in like 15 minutes just trying to like guzzle I think
I put things in my underwear like weights in there and my wallet change in it you know
and I ended up being 162 I made weight you know but the guy with that I was fighting
was cutting from one from 210 down to 170 so we actually go out there Herb Dean's my
referee it's on pay-per-view you know I get out my parents all my friends are there all
my family's there people fly out from Hawaii like everyone's there you know and and then
they say they announced the other they knew I was the fifth fight and on the fight card
and they announced the other guy's name and he comes out he's so big and my whole family
stood up you know and then they're like that's Adam's opponent that's a completely different
weight class so they all like stood back down and then all of a sudden they announced my
name and I come running out and they're like wait Adam's fighting this guy you know he
was enormous so I get out in the ring and I find out that you know I trained for the
first guy regular the reg is the regular stance guy and then we get out there and find out
the new guys a southpaw lefty and I fight and he's like six three you know 210 and he
put on like 30 pounds after weigh-ins because he weigh-in you know the day before you fight
you know it's 24 hours so he he goes back up to like you know like 205 you know and
just big and and then so we go out in his first exchange he lands he's a lefty and I
find that out like when we're standing facing up on each other he lands a big old punch
and cuts me open and and and then he comes back again and whenever you fight a lefty
you always want to lead with a straight right so I saw I slipped him and she righted him
and I buckled him and that was my chance I should have jumped on him you know knowing
now looking back on it it's always easy to be Monday morning quarterback and and you
know and look in hindsight and what you should have done and I had a chance right there I
should have jumped on him and took his next jujitsu as my ex was my you know as my 4k
you know so I was I had had an opportunity and I but to be honest I was so buzzed from
that first shot I had like 20 stitches on my eye hit me so hard and and split me I took
a step I should have jumped on him and I took a step back to kind of like to shake it off
and I was bleeding everywhere and and that was all the guy needed a little bit to recover
and he recovers and bum rushes me up against the cage and I'm up on the cage and I tried
to like push his arms up and shoot a double leg on him and and he like times just like
the most perfect uppercut right when I was shooting in and just bomb and and literally
like knocked me out but I wasn't really out yet I was on my knees and I was on the ground
and I'm looking up and Herb Dean Herb Dean's my referee and the guys like right the guys
like right here and Herb Dean's like a little bit farther away and the guy in the and I
can't move I'm knocked out I'm in it but I'm not but I'm frozen you know I can't move
because I'm kind of knocked out and and Herb Dean's like trying to run to get in between
me and the guy but doesn't get there in time and and the guy just gets there right before
Herb and lands this bomb elbow right on my face and and and my head like goes like I
can stand that in the ground and and then Herb Dean runs on the guy and breaks him off
and and then I went out cold I got knocked out stiff cold got taken out in the ambulance
I have told people close to me that that Adam Watts is the best storyteller of anyone that
I know I mean we're you have you have you always have have the best stories you are
like this really interesting combination of world-class talent humility and the funnest
guy you could ever want to hang out so you have you have so much to share so we'll definitely
have like part two and three and four of this you know in in in
I went off on a tangent there sorry about that no no I you I know please please not
at all well we'll do we'll do parts three four and five for sure you have you have so
much so much to say and you know so much to offer in the way of lessons out of the school
of hard knocks to guys to people that are coming up that are half our age and that was
a lot of the intent of why we wanted to to start to be a voice in this in this space
and that to offer some of those some of those lessons you're a teacher at heart you teach
over 150 students but it share share with everybody something that you a lesson something
that you know now that you wish you knew when you started out is there anything that comes
to mind like something you know it's okay it's okay to look bad it's okay to look bad
to look bad when you're to do it when you're doing something new that was something that
I wish when I when I was when I was first starting I didn't want to I didn't want to
let people down I didn't want to look bad in front of people you know and I felt like
that you know like anything I don't want to be I don't want to be a dork you know I don't
want to look like some poop out there and be like oh I don't want to go surf and then
have everyone make fun of me because look at that guy look how he's look how he's holding
his board look how he's wearing his I could just tell by someone how they wear their shorts
whether or not they've been surfing whether they thought they could surf or not you know
and I know what that is like or same in jujitsu you know I could just tell how they step on
the mat whether or not if they've been rolling or not so and it's and but as I look back
on it it's like who cares who cares you know that's it just comes down to just just having
fun and and learning you know and what and earlier in my career I think that might have
helped me back a little bit you know because I didn't want to look bad I didn't want to
look bad in front of people so the biggest going back to maybe that MMA story right there
I got knocked out in front of on pay-per-view in front of all my friends and family and
I got taken out on a stretcher and I mean it couldn't it doesn't get anyone worse than
that I only go up from there you know so at that point on basically I realized it's like
you can't care what people think you got to just do you just got to do it you know and
you just got to do it for for you you know and everyone's accomplishing their own like
they have their own personal fears or demons or goals that they're that they're trying
to accomplish you know and if you let the fear of looking bad stop you you'll never
do anything you know I used to walk around I used to walk around with this poem in my
pocket and and it used to say is to say thousands of bullfighters ranked in rows but only one
in their nose and that's the man that fights the bull you know thousands of bull fighters
thousands of you have thousands of bull critics ranked in rows but only one in their nose
and that's the man that fights the bull.
Yeah thousands of bull critics ranked in rows but only one in their nose and that's the
man that fights the bull because you know what it is there's so many people that are
in the audience, oh look I've been at so many fights and I'll be in the stands you know
be a fan you know one of our guys maybe fought earlier on the fight card and we
go after go out afterwards we sit in the audience and they'll be like some guys
behind me that are that have never fought in a life that are like so out
of shape and and that are yelling at the fighter in there that are like this guy
sucks you have no heart you know I just want to look back at that guy and I'm
like what do you know about heart you know like what do you know you have no
first of all you have no clue how much like like how much like courage and how
and and how how much just how much dedication and how much work goes in
just it's just a step foot in the ring win or lose just think just to have the
the courage just just that just and the bravery to go into that cage when they
lock that door and there's no rules and you're fighting in front of all it's
easy to it's easy to get and if someone something happens on the street and you
got to in something happens you know there's no thought process that's easy
but when everyone knows and you sign the contract and all your friends you're
gonna be there and all your family's gonna be there you know it's a different
it's a different it's a different animal you know and so yeah just I think yeah
when that happened to me it made me just realize when I lost it was like who cares
what people think you can't get any worse than that you know and then from
that point on it was just like you know I'm just gonna learn I'm just gonna
grow and I'm just gonna do all these things that I want to do and and and and
and usually the person that has on is is that is too afraid to do anything is on
that never accomplished anything in life anyways you know so it's like there it's
it's like you can't be afraid to start because because basically it comes down
to just just just doing it who cares and just do it have fun everyone's
everyone could have an opinion and you can't let it those happen yeah so if I
was gonna say if I could look back on something in my life that I could maybe
tell myself earlier it's like who cares what people think you know just like
what you said about you know not being not being afraid to start ocean water
actually we actually started it at at Fight Strong at on a on a Wednesday
night with like a few guys it was it was you and in and me and Bobby basically
and then you invited Jason Lusk and and it's kind of it's kind of evolved from
there if we could make and you and I you and I and Bobby and some of the guys
out of that first group that actually been to El Salvador already twice
together and it can you just do me a favor and explain to everyone like what
is your sort of understanding of like the the water situation right now in the
world well definitely I think I think right now it's definitely a problem but
in the future it's gonna be even bigger problem and that's where I see a lot of
these things that's yeah we're helping right now but also we're planting seeds
for you know in the future when you know it's overpopulation you know I see the
people a lot of people hopefully there's gonna be a lot of people using a lot of
pesticides which gets into our water system and things like that which means
that the limited limits the amount of clean water you're not to get into like
a huge like like like like big corporations taking over anything but I
know Nestle is trying to privatize water they want to basically take over all
water rights you know turn water into like a natural resource like like oil
you know and I know that so they're basically and this is just from my
person and I might be wrong but from what I read from my understanding from
what I what I've seen it seems like they're like these big corporations
working cahoots they allow these big comfort like Monsanto and in all these
companies that are these huge poison companies that are using all these
pesticides on all their farms and everything and and all that runoff goes
into where where does it go you know it goes into our water systems you know and
then they're Nestle wants to buy all the actually good water and allow these
companies to poison these other places where where we actually get our water
from you know adult which basically is gonna limit the sources of clean water
and the only stores only clean water that's gonna be out there in the future
I think is gonna be owned by private companies so with ocean water being on
this on this like forefront not only is it you know allowing you know basically
getting clean ocean water to you know local indigenous people but I think it's
gonna be something that it's gonna be it can grow to something way bigger than
we even imagined you know and you know going down there to El Salvador which
is really cool seeing just just how the people lived and in what they go through
in their daily and their daily lives and their daily struggles and and you don't
realize how you know we here you know in the United States sometimes we take you
know having you know you know like third world problems you know we take you know
having water for granted you know and down there it's like they don't have
clean water you know let's say if you only make you know 100 or 200 dollars a
month you know and and you have to spend you know 70 to 80 dollars a month on
fresh drinking water that's half of your salary now you know going down there and
you know if you're able to eliminate an expense that's you know a quarter to a
third half of your salary that is huge that is huge you know going down there
and seeing you know this you know going I've only gone down there twice you've
been down there you know a lot more times than me you know planting those seeds
establishing those relationships with the locals you know and you know the
really the real cool thing that I saw when I went down there with you is how
you know I've traveled all over the world you know my whole life and my mom
was a flight attendant you know so I've been I've been really fortunate you know
and I you know I know I know how you know how tourists are treated lots of
times when you you know when you go to a lot of these local situations and in the
way you've established a relationship with the locals there and yeah knowing
they know that you don't want anything you know you're giving you know and and
you're just trying to you just it's all through love and it's all through and
it's all through it's all through the church and and through God you know and
they realize that you know and I can see other people come and I think last time
we were there someone I forget who's mentioned to me might have been you or
Bobby but but there are some other guys out in the water and we were surfing to
with the locals and and and they were like oh look at those tourists over there
and we were like are we tourists in there and they said to us right no you
guys are locals you know it made us feel good I was like oh man they think because
you're helping you know we're not just coming to the little town and taking you
know we're going and and and with yours with the system that you've brought and
and set up with you know with the local community and training the local
community and and and it wasn't like I think the first time they thought maybe
they were gonna take it with you and you're like no you're like I'm leaving
this here and this is where you guys and and and you know it was like a big
eye-opener for them you know and now with with this whole pandemic that's
happening you know you know looking back on it it was like seeds that were
planting where it was such a like a blessing in disguise for them because
now they're one of the only water sources from what in I think all of El
Salvador that has getting fresh fresh water you know and they're supplying a
whole little village now with you know with water to clean their clothes clean
their dishes to do all sorts of different things you know and and it's
funny how just one you know God just works in mysterious ways man it's it's
really really cool so yeah that my understanding of the water of the
whole water situation the world is you know like I said I tried to read a lot
you know you know my understanding might be a little different than than a lot of
people's you know some people might agree with me some people might not you
know but that's just my personal opinion on it and but yeah this I think
what you're doing and and how you're bringing you know God and and just love
to these do these little to these villages you know and not taking
anything but just but giving and and establishing you know something that is
a long-term sustainable foundational piece for to for any forever for any for
any community to grow it's just awesome man I'm just real blessed to be a part
of it you know the feelings the feelings mutual brother I mean when when you
start years in your spot when you start to understand that the water supply in
the world is really trying to be commoditized in other words that was the
word yeah people are trying to gain control corporations are trying to be
in control of the supplies and they can monetize the water system and what we're
doing is we're saying no water is actually an indigenous person's
fundamental right in not only that but we're gonna provide a platform for them
to source it and so and so what what's happened now it's funny because in you're
right I mean literally after we got to him with our last trip coven 19 but
El Salvador on lockdown and because we left the system there and had trained
some pop-o all 38 families that are in Palmar Cedar there are only 38 families
in Palmar Cedar and all 30 of those families are have the ability to get
water from our system they're taking care of some Papa's been instrumental in
all of that not only providing water for everybody and but food as well and when
you think about Jesus and you think about the church providing water and
food for people is at the top of the list for for ways that we can love and
help and and and serve other people and it's funny because we actually took a
picture of Bobby it's with our system and somebody commented a friend of some
Papa commented on that yesterday who lives in El Zante where we went and
served and commented me to me yesterday less than 24 hours ago from when I'm
talking to you right now I live in El Zante which for our listeners is seven
miles up the road from Palmarcito I live on the river in El Zante we do come
and bring one of these systems to me in Ozante and so people are yeah and that's
a beautiful thing and so what what is what is what is happening now is through
through love and friendship people are seeing what's possible when you when you
empower and provide a platform for people to to empower indigenous that's a
different conversation and that's one of the reasons why again guys like you and
I now wanted to start to step into this space so that we could we could we could
really educate you know and start to have this conversation about how
important this this really is dude and man I want to I want to thank you Adam
and and please dude if you'll if you'll come back on at least a few more times
maybe we'll do once a month with you you have so much to offer from the school of
hard knocks and experience you have so much to offer to people that are half our
age now and and thank you dude for your time man that's like one of the most
precious things that we can give people these days thank you so much dude in an
um and any last words dude no worries brother yeah any dude I love you guys
but yeah anything anytime uh yeah just basically a star strong fight strong
finish strong guys don't give up that's the biggest thing you know just don't
give up on the difference the only difference between a white belt and the
black belt as a black belt is a white belt that never quit that's one thing I
always tell my new students I'm like when you walk in the door it doesn't
matter what you do just don't quit you know and that's the only difference in a
black belt and a white belt as a I'm just a white belt that never gave up you
know now 20 years later you know I got a couple world championships and you know
and a couple of a couple cool things under my belt you know but just don't
quit learn from all your mistakes we were the winner we learned you know it
sounds like cliche but it's so true you know winner we learned and don't give up
that's that's one thing that I could uh that if I could recommend all that's what
I say to all my guys and I can remember if I can recommend anything that's what
I would say start strong fight strong finish strong don't give up my bread us
thank you brother ladies and gentlemen Adam Watts thank you so much brother
love you brother