He has fought in Nebraska, Mississippi, and California. But now Hampton MMA fighter Adam Townsend is heading overseas to Beijing, China, where he will take to the octagon once again.
On July 30, Townsend will enter the octagon at 170 pounds as he takes on UFC veteran Junior Assuncao (16-5) for Art of War 18, a four-man MMA tournament inside the Olympics Sports Center Gymnasium in Beijing, China.
“Art of War is the UFC of China,” Townsend said. “They are the biggest promotion over there. And it is a really big opportunity. It will be a great experience all together for me honestly. It is going to be great fighting in another country. It will be great exposure. And I will get to see the world.”
Townsend and his coach will fly over to China on July 25th, which will take them roughly 25 hours, Townsend said. With a 13 hour time difference between Tennessee and Beijing, Townsend said he will have to adjust to fighting earlier in the day than he is used to.
“I am training earlier in the day,” Townsend said. “I will fight probably fight around 10 in the morning. There are going to be so many unknowns. I have never been out of the country my whole life. Going to California was a big deal. Heck, going to Myrtle Beach was a big deal to me. So going to China is just unbelievable.”
Townsend is expecting Assuncao to be his toughest test yet, but like in the past the Hampton brawler said he is up for any challenge.
“He is a very well rounded fighter, Townsend said. “He has faced a lot of tough competition, and he is by far the toughest fight I have had to date. He is just good everywhere. He lives in Alanta, where he runs a gym with his three brothers. One of his brothers is a very a good UFC fighter, and the other one is about to get there too. They have a very good gym and system they do down there. But I am not really worried about all of that. I feel like it is my time to go in there and get the job done.”
Townsend is facing a lot of unknowns as he heads to the East, but one thing is certain.
“‘Ole Hampton’ will be ringing through the Beijing Gymnastic Stadium over there,” Townsend said. “It will be a pretty cool experience. Everyone over there will not know what’s going on when that song comes on.”