Who is Adam Oakey? All you need to know about former felon-turned-MMA fighter-turned defense attorney

Adam Oakey's life is a remarkable story in how things can be turned around and how anyone can carve a different path for themselves if their intentions are genuine and their will strong enough.

At one point in time, Oakey was a felon, whose first brush with the law came when he was on the cusp of teenagehood. With a father who died when he was just two years old and an alcoholic mother, Adam Oakey was deprived of the guidance that children typically receive from their parents. His was a household full of abuse, alcoholism and substance abuse. At 12 years old, he was orphaned.

Not long afterwards, his aunt introduced him to martial arts to help him control his anger. But what was initially meant as an outlet for him to unleash his energy in a constructive manner only gave him the tools to physically assault others. Between 1997 and 2007, he was arrested six times, charged with either assault or battery.

By his 20s, Adam Oakey sat in a jail cell and realized he'd been behind bars too many times. He made the decision turn his life around and poured his martial arts background into MMA. Unfortunately, even the chain-linked fence of mixed martial arts competition wasn't what he truly wanted in life.

While he had a decent record and hoped to get signed by the UFC, a shoulder injury ultimately convinced him otherwise. Some fighters hold a second job besides fighting, like newly crowned flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja previously working as an Uber Eats driver.

But this case was different...

He enrolled at the University of New Mexico, graduating from the Anderson School of Management. Before long, he made his way into law school and is now a licensed attorney.

In a sport where the likes of Al Iaquinta were top-level fighters while also working as a real-estate agent, an office job isn't unheard of.

However, Adam Oakey has long since abandoned his MMA dreams. It was merely a part of his journey that led him to his true calling in life, and he couldn't be happier.