After a pair of losses and a bout with Martin Kampmann rapidly approaching, John “Doomsday” Howard is, admittedly, in a “do-or-die” situation.
Prior to making his UFC debut in January of 2009, Howard, fighting primarily in his native-Massachusetts, held a record of 10 victories—eight of which coming by way of stoppage—and four losses.
Since his first match in the Octagon—a victory over Chris Wilson at UFC 94—which saw Howard and Wilson, after three rounds of action, pick up the organization’s Fight of the Night bonus, Howard has gone on a four fight win-streak—with victories over Wilson, Tamdan McCrory, Dennis Hallman, and Daniel Roberts—and, most recently, a two bout losing streak—a third round doctor’s stoppage against Jack Ellenberger and a decision loss at the hands of Thiago Alves at UFC 124.
In what will arguably be his toughest challenge to date, Howard is set to take on Kampmann at UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Johnson on June 26th in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with John Howard about, among other topics, his upcoming bout with Kampmann, the prospect of a UFC championship, and the importance of fans to the man they call “Doomsday.”
Were you involved in any martial arts growing up?
Not really, man. I did some boxing here and there and a little bit of karate, but nothing too serious. That wasn’t something that I could afford; we grew up kind of poor, man, so I didn’t really have the opportunities to do so much. When I did get the opportunity to do something, I did it, though.
What inspired you to get involved with mixed martial arts?
There was a guy who was a good grappler—I didn’t know what grappling was and I didn’t know what jiu-jitsu was—and he took me to the ground and just beat me up real bad. After that, I asked him to teach me and he taught me some freestyle grappling with some submissions. From there, I just kind of ran with it.
What were your first impressions of the sport?
I was like, “Wow; this is crazy, man. This is some other stuff.” Once I started training, I realized that there was so much more to it.
In the beginning, was this something that you thought you would be able to make a career out of?
Not really, man. I was just having fun, but once I realized the money that is in it—you can possibly make millions—I just kind of ran with it. Things have been going good so far.
When did that hit you?
It hit me after my first fight in the UFC—when I got Fight of the Night—I knew that I could do a lot and it was just awesome.
Was there any hesitation on your behalf to sign your first UFC contract?
Definitely not; as soon as I saw the contract, I just signed it.
What does fighting in the UFC mean to you?
It means a lot, man. It means opportunities and chances in life that I wouldn’t have had before; I get to make money and provide for my family.
How do you feel about what you’ve been able to accomplish in the UFC so far?
I feel good. I’ve got two losses, but I still feel good. I was very fortunate to have four straight wins—I feel good about it and I can’t complain.
How are you feeling going into your next fight?
I feel good, man; I think it’s a good fight for me. It’s a good stand-up war—something that I really want—it will be really fun and I’m interested to see what will happen.
Do you have a prediction for how it’s going to end?
I believe if it’s not a second round knockout by me; a decision—Fight of the Night—with my hands raised up.
What problems do you think Martin poses to you?
He has great technique. He’s well-rounded and I think he’s really good, man; I think he’s top-six in the world.
Do you think Martin has anything that you haven’t seen before?
Not really.
Would you consider this fight to be your biggest challenge to date?
Not really. It might be my biggest fight to date, because it could be a do-or-die fight—if I lose this fight than I could be cut—so that could be considered. But competition-wise, not really, man; I’ve been in some hardcore fights with some tough opponents. Not to say that they’re better than him, but I don’t think he’s going to be as offensive as that.
So you think that this is one of your biggest opportunities to date?
Yeah; definitely, man. Every fight in the UFC is a huge opportunity, man.
What would a win mean to you?
A lot, man. I haven’t got a win in some time now, so it will feel good to get a win. It would mean a lot. He needs a win, too—he’s got two losses and I’ve got two losses—so it’s do-or-die and we’ll see what happens.
With two straight losses, does that add a lot of pressure going into this fight?
It does a little bit. My whole attitude about life is; God has a plan for you and if it’s meant to be then it’s meant to be—if it’s not then I’ll find my place somewhere else, man. I going to go in there with the same attitude—and go in there to fight—and I hope everything works out.
Have you always had this outlook?
Basically. I’m very religious. I feel that people think they can control their fate and their path—and we do to a degree—but your path is kind of made for you; it’s destiny—that’s the way it is, man. It all depends on how you take it; you can take it and accept it or decline it and have a bad life. I’m just going to accept it and go from there.
Assuming you win, where do you see yourself in the UFC’s welterweight division?
Top-10 if I win and possibly getting good fights and getting in that title-chase. We’ll see what happens.
How far away do you feel you are from getting a shot at the title?
I think three or four wins in a row would get me a title-shot.
What would a UFC championship mean to you?
A lot, man. It would mean better opportunities and—honestly—better money, man. Not to be ignorant or anything—I love fighting—but I want to get paid for it, too. If I can make some serious money and set my kids and myself up for the rest of their lives then I’ll be satisfied. We’ll see what happens.
Would you fight if you weren’t compensated for your performance?
Probably not—to tell you the truth. I wouldn’t want to fight, but I would train; I would definitely want to train and do things like BJJ tournaments, but I wouldn’t fight just for the hell of it. No—I don’t think so.
Why do you fight?
I fight because I’m good at it—that’s it, you know? God gives you a gift and for some reason I’m good at getting punched in the face [laughs]. I’m good at punching people in the face, but I can also take a good ass-whippin’. That’s my talent—and that’s not to say that I’m a great fighter—but I have the skill and the talent; I can get my ass beat and I’ll keep coming.
When did you realize that fighting was one of your talents?
Wow—years ago. I grew up in a hard neighbourhood, man; I was getting jumped and I was always getting into fights. I knew that I could fight and handle my own. From where I’m from, you don’t even fight one-on-one; you fight two-on-one, three-on-one, and I got jumped a lot—and I still kept coming. I knew that I had a heart and I was told that if you have that heart, then the sky is the limit.
Did you ever think that you would be fighting for a living?
Actually, no, man. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I wonder what the hell I’m doing—I can’t believe that I’m really fighting for a living—that’s weird, man. If something happens and I can’t fight, I’ve going to put on my resume that I fought in the UFC for a couple years? That was my actual job, though—that’s funny. It’s life, man; it’s a way of life.
Do you enjoy the lifestyle?
I love it; it’s awesome, man. Honestly, the best thing I love—besides the money—is the fans; the fans are awesome—that fans are ridiculous. Even the haters and all of y’all—I love the fans. Y’all make me laugh—it’s just so funny the attention that I get and the response that I get—it’s so awesome. I love the fans as much as they love the fighters. Some fighters don’t like the fans as much—I love them just as much as they love me. With the love that I get, I give it right back. That’s the best thing for me.
What do the fans of the sport mean to you?
Oh, they’re awesome, man. For someone to encourage and congratulate me—just to be there for me—is awesome. The love of the people is awesome; being the people’s champ is a good feeling. The best feeling in the world is having people look up to you. Having people get inspired by what you do is the weirdest thing—it’s awesome. All I do is punch people in the face and get paid for it and people look up to me—it’s crazy.
When you started fighting, did you ever think that you would have this type of influence over people?
Not even a little bit, man. I didn’t think it would push this many people this far. It’s amazing that people can be inspired by me and if I can inspire people to be happy by watching me fight—game-on. I love it, man—I never thought it would happen, but it happened and it’s awesome.
While you have the opportunity, is there anything that you’d like to say to your fans?
Ah, man; I love y’all. Y’all are so awesome—you’re the greatest fans in the world. I also wanted to say that I’m a real guy; I don’t like to be lied to and I don’t like to lie to people—I’m not that type of guy. I say stuff than people might be offended by—they might think it’s too much—but that’s just life; it’s real and that’s the type of guy that I am. For the guys that love me and all the girls that love me—to the fans; I love y’all. And to the haters that are hatin’ on me; hate is just another form of love—that’s the way that I was taught—so I love y’all, too. Keep it up and—as always—here comes the “Doom.”
Do you feel that you have a lot of haters out there?
Every fighter does; it’s just the way it is. For all of the love, you’re going to have hate; for every negative there is a positive and for every positive is a negative—it’s just the way life is. It’s a form of love; if you have enough energy to hate me, then that means you really love me. To dislike me is one thing, but if you hate me; there’s a thin line between love and hate. If you hate me, you’re watching me—and it’s all good.
Does that ever get under your skin?
Not even a little bit. Ignorance is bliss; I don’t care, man—people can say whatever they want. I’m so comfortable and happy with myself that no one can change how I feel about myself. I’m happy about it and I don’t want to portray anything that I’m not.
Have you always had this outlook?
Yup. Yeah, man—I did. Especially when growing up hard; I was fu— freakin’ poor growing up. That’s the way life is; either you accept it or you don’t. If you don’t accept it, you can hurt yourself. It’s all good.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a millionaire [laughs]. I just wanted to be rich—whether it was through football or acting. To tell you the truth, I just wanted to be successful growing up—I didn’t really care what it was. I just didn’t want to be a bum—I wanted to be successful and do amazing things, man. It didn’t have to be on the entertainment-level; any level.
Did you ever think that you would be this successful?
I knew I would. I had that drive and I knew that something was going to happen. I had to work hard to get something, and this is it. I knew something was going to happen—I just wasn’t sure what; I went through whichever door opened first. This is the door that I opened, so here I am.
Are you happy that you took this door?
I’m very happy, man—I’m very happy. I’m kind of confused at the politics in it and it’s not as glamorous as I thought it would be—it’s a lot harder than I thought—but nothing is easy.
Politics?
There is politics in everything you do—and I’m not going to talk too much about this—but there are politics in it and you’ve got to roll with the punches, man.
You thought it would be simpler?
I thought it would be a lot simpler than it is; it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. It’s crazy how hard it is—in certain aspects—but it is what it is and you’ve got to take it as it comes.
Has your determination ever wavered?
There have been questions—I can say that. I’ve questioned if it was worth it or if it’s not—but who hasn’t questioned what they’re doing? You keep going forward and if it doesn’t work out, than it won’t work out—but at least I’m going to try.
Have you thought about how much longer you’d like to compete?
I’m 28 right now, so hopefully I can get another 10 years out of it—maybe 12 years. I’ll try to stay healthy as much as possible and get another decade out of it—that’s what I’m going to try to do. I don’t think it’s impossible; I think it’s improbable, but it’s not impossible. I’m going to see what happens. If God blesses me to fight for another 10 years and—hopefully—make some good money, than I’m going to do it.
What do you feel you can accomplish in that time?
A lot. I feel that I can get a world championship, go into movies, help the community out, meet all types of people, travel the world—all kinds of stuff, man.
Have you thought about what you might like to do when you’re done fighting?
I know exactly what I’m going to do—and not to be funny or anything like that—but I’m going to Amsterdam. I don’t smoke weed or anything like that—I know it’s legal over there. When I retire, I’m going there to retire and I’m going to have some fun. I’m going to retire happy and I’m going to die happy—I’ll tell you that much.
Why Amsterdam?
Well, certain stuff is legal over there and I’m planning on enjoying it. I don’t do it now because I have a fighting career and it’s illegal over here—but I’m going to go where it’s legal and where you can just live life. I think, if you’ve done your hard-work in life, than when you retire, you should enjoy it—that’s exactly what I’m going to do, man. That’s exactly what I’m going to do [laughs]. I’m going to have a blast and just be a happy old man.
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