Press Release – PRESS RELEASE – To say that John Howard has been on a tear lately would be an understatement. “Doomsday” has won five consecutive bouts, his last four by knockout and each within two rounds. He’s been cutting through his opponents like a knife through warm butter and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Howard, whose bout a month ago lasted just 23 seconds, is hell bent on continuing his winning streak and eventually landing back inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s famed Octagon later this summer. The UFC, the world’s largest MMA organization, is headed to Boston on August 17, which fits Howard perfectly considering that Beantown is where he’s from.
“That’s my goal, to get back to the UFC,” Howard said. “When I get to the point where I’ve won six fights in a row I think they’ll have to take a look at me again. The UFC is always looking for fighters and I’m definitely the kind of fighter they look for. It’d be a dream to fight for them again, especially in Boston.”
At one point in his career Howard was one of the hottest contenders on the circuit and was brought into the Las Vegas-based giant’s fold. Howard made the most of his opportunity in the UFC as he reeled off four straight wins in impressive fashion. In his debut for the company on the UFC 94 card, he eked out a split decision win over the highly-touted Chris Wilson, a battle that won both men the coveted fight of the night honors.
A decision win over the dangerous Tamdan McCrory and a knockout of long-time veteran Dennis Hallman followed but “Doomsday” wasn’t finished. He capped his impressive winning streak with a spectacular KO of Daniel Roberts on the UFC Live 1: Vera vs. Jones card. The highlight reel punch-out won him the knockout of the night award and it seemed as though he was on a fast track toward the title.
Unfortunately, Howard was stopped by top contender Jake Ellenberger in his next bout. He then dropped consecutive decisions to former world title challenger Thiago Alves and the always menacing Matt Brown.
During that span, Howard had lost his grandmother, with whom he was extremely close. The loss crippled his focus and he had an incredibly difficult time in dealing with her passing. His training wasn’t as keen and his desire had weaned. With three straight losses, he was eventually dropped from the Zuffa roster.
“I was really close with her and I didn’t prepare for that and I missed her a lot,” he reflected. “It was really hard on me and I wasn’t as focused as I should have been. I wasn’t able to recover from losing her at that time and it showed in my performances.
“Eventually I did recover from that and I’ve since been able to refocus my life and my career,” he added. “I’ve never been so focused in all of my life like I am now. Right now I think I’m one of the best middleweights in the world and I’d just like an opportunity to prove myself against the absolute best.”
If the way he’s fought during the past 18 months is any indication, “Doomsday” might have his wish come true. He’s recommitted himself fully to training and says he’s never felt better in his career.
“I’m definitely much better today than how I was a few years ago,” he said. “It’s different because I’m doing what I need to be doing. I used to not have a good diet where I was not eating the right foods. But I’ve been eating right, taking much better care of my body and I’ve got a much stronger team of guys at Wai Kru MMA that push me every day. My whole mindset is different in that I am more focused now than ever before.”
But for Howard, the current middleweight champion for Classic Entertainment & Sports (CES) MMA, to realize his dreams, he first must get passed grizzled veteran Chris Woodall. It’s a dangerous fight for Howard for several reasons, but most notably is that Woodall, who hasn’t fought professional in MMA in almost seven years, has nothing to lose. He’s tough to begin with and has a balanced arsenal of striking power and submission prowess. Though he’s been inactive for so long, Howard expects Woodall to come in with the best he has to offer and try to score the upset.
“He’s got nothing to lose and I expect him to come in and try to beat me,” he said. “My job is to not let that happen and knock him out. He’s going to try and derail me but that’s not going to happen. It doesn’t matter who is put in front of me; my job, my goal is to always win every time.
“It’s true that he hasn’t fought in a long time but he knows what he’s doing and I expect him to be in shape and at his best,” he continued. “I expect him to be aggressive and try to come in there and start banging, so I’ll bang right back.”
Win or lose, Howard is determined to achieve his goals but he’s realistic and patient. He knows as long as he keeps winning, he’s optimistic that he’ll eventually get the call to return to the UFC. But for now, he’s content with defending his CES title and knocking down every obstacle put in front of him. He’s grateful for the opportunities that have been given to him since being dropped from the Zuffa roster.
“CES is great,” he stated. “They treat me very well and they give me good fights. They are very good to me and I’m their champion. I have no complaints about CES at all; they’re doing the right things.”
Howard’s battle with Woodhall headlines the CES: New Blood event this Friday, June 7 at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Aside from the bout that could prove to be Howard’s send-off from CES and back to the UFC, CES has a stacked undercard filled with intriguing matchups.
The Ultimate Fighter reality TV series (TUF 13) standout and Bridgewater, Mass, resident Chuck “Cold Steel” O’Neil (10-5, 2 KOs) will square off against Andrew Osborne (6-5, 1 KO) in a welterweight encounter; Providence fighter Greg “Ribz” Rebello (15-4, 8 KOs) will lock horns with Lewis Rumsey (8-8, 4 KOs) in a light heavyweight encounter; a great intra-state showdown will also take place between East Providence, R.I., lightweight Nate “The Snake” Andrews (4-0, 2 KOs) and Lincoln veteran Jeff “Candyman” Anderson (11-7, 2 KOs).
“New Blood” also features four exciting bantamweight bouts, highlighted by the showdown between Andre Soukhamthath (4-1, 3 KOs) of Woonsocket, R.I., and Blair Tugman (5-4) of Branford, Conn. Soukhamthath has won four consecutive fights since losing his debut while Tugman is returning to the cage for the first time since April of 2011, when he lost to John McLaughlin at the Bellator Fighting Championships.
Also in the bantamweight division, highly-touted amateur Sophanarith Am will make his professional debut against Carlos Hernandez of Lynn, Mass., and Providence veteran Joe Reverdes (1-2) will fight Williamsport’s Joshua Aarons (1-6). In what could be one of the best fights on the undercard, veterans Pedro Gonzalez (7-5) of Rockport, Mass., and Sidemar Honario (8-3, 2 KOs) will square off in a three-round bantamweight bout.
Tickets for “New Blood” are $36.00, $56.00, $101.00 and $126.00 and can be purchased by calling CES at 401.724.2253/2254, online at www.shop.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Players Club booth at Twin River, or through any TicketMaster location. Doors open 6 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7.
(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “New Blood.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must enter through the West entrance).