# John Howard (fighter)

John Howard (born March 1, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Eagle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2004, Howard has formerly competed for the International Fight League, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, CES MMA, the Cage Fury Fighting Championships and Professional Fighters League.

## Background

Howard was born and raised by his single mother along with his brother in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, where he still resides to this day. Howard got into fights often while growing up. In high school, Howard played football and basketball and learned the electrical trade after getting his high school degree. He found martial arts after going to a Job Corps to get his high school diploma, where he learned grappling from a freestyle grappler. Later on in his career, he has become well known for his wrestling skills and takedowns in MMA despite not having any background in it. After graduating, Howard began training at a local gym. Howard's nickname "Doomsday" is from the infamous villain who killed Superman. Howard once sparred against Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a boxer, when the two trained at Wai Kru Mixed Martial Arts in Boston.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Howard made his UFC debut on January 31, 2009, against Chris Wilson at UFC 94, winning via split decision.
He then faced Tamdan McCrory at UFC 101. This fight was significant for both as the two had become friends fighting on promotions in the Northeast. Howard won the fight via split decision.
Howard fought Dennis Hallman on December 5, 2009, at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. After getting out-grappled for most of the fight, Howard knocked out Hallman at 4:55 of the third round.
Howard was expected to face Anthony Johnson on March 21, 2010, at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones, but Johnson sustained an injury during training. UFC newcomer Daniel Roberts stepped in to be Howard's new opponent. Howard defeated Roberts via first-round KO.
Howard was defeated by Jake Ellenberger via third round TKO due to doctor stoppage at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko. Though Howard had success on the feet, he was unable to defend the takedowns of Ellenberger. Ellenberger would go on to cause Howard's left eye to close after repeatedly landing short elbows and punches from the guard leading to the stoppage,
Howard next faced former title challenger Thiago Alves on December 11, 2010, at UFC 124. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Howard was expected to face Martin Kampmann on June 26, 2011, at UFC on Versus 4 However, Kampmann was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Matt Brown. Howard was defeated by Brown after three tough rounds via unanimous decision (29-28, 29–28, 29–28). After the loss to Brown, Howard was released from the promotion.

### Classic Entertainment and Sports (CES MMA)

Howard made his CES debut at CES MMA: Never Surrender against Todd Chattelle for the CES Middleweight Championship. He won via TKO in the second round.
Howard made his first title defense against Scott Rehm. He won via TKO.
Howard's next title defense was against Brett Chism. He won via TKO.
Howard's next title defense was at CES MMA: Path to Destruction, against Jason Louck. He won via KO just 23 seconds into the first round.
Howard defended his title for the fourth time against Chris Woodall. He won via KO in the first round.

### Return to the UFC

Following the Boston Marathon bombing, Howard openly stated that he would like to be on the UFC Fight Night 26 card in Boston, Massachusetts in August 2013 to show support for his hometown. On July 17, 2013, it was announced that he would appear on the card, replacing Josh Samman in a Middleweight bout against Uriah Hall. He defeated Hall via split decision.
Howard returned to Welterweight and faced Siyar Bahadurzada on December 28, 2013, at UFC 168. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Howard faced Ryan LaFlare at UFC Fight Night 39. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Howard was then expected to face Rick Story at UFC Fight Night 45 on July 16, 2014. However, he was forced from the bout due to injury and was replaced by returning veteran Leonardo Mafra.
Howard faced Brian Ebersole on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178. He lost the fight via split decision.
Howard faced Lorenz Larkin on January 18, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 59. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Howard was expected to face Brandon Thatch on July 11, 2015, at UFC 189. However, on June 23, Thatch was pulled from that bout in favor of a fight with Gunnar Nelson as his scheduled opponent John Hathaway was forced out with injury. Howard faced Cathal Pendred at the event. Howard won the fight via split decision.
Howard faced Tim Means on December 10, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 80. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

### World Series of Fighting

On March 8, 2016, it was announced that Howard had signed with the World Series of Fighting promotion.
After winning against Michael Arrant at WSOF 31 via unanimous decision, Howard faced Abubakar Nurmagomedov on October 7, 2016, at WSOF33, losing the fight via unanimous decision.
A year later on October 27, 2017, at CES MMA 46: Howard vs. Carroll, Howard faced Roger Carroll, winning the bout by unanimous decision.

### Professional Fighters League
#### 2018 Season

In the 2018 season, Howard participated in PFL 3 on July 5, where he faced Gasan Umalatov. Howard won the fight via submission using a rear-naked choke in the second round.
Howard then faced Bruno Santos at PFL 6 on August 16, 2018. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.
Later that year, at the 2018 PFL Middleweight Quarterfinal bout, Howard faced Eddie Gordon and won the fight via unanimous decision.
However, at PFL 10 on October 20, 2018, Howard's bout with Louis Taylor ended in a technical draw due to an illegal knee. Howard was eliminated via a first-round tiebreaker.

#### 2019 Season

To start off the 2019 season on May 9, 2019, at PFL 1, Howard faced Magomed Magomedkerimov, losing the bout via guillotine choke at the end of the first round.
On July 11, 2019, at PFL 4, he faced Ray Cooper III, winning the bout after knocking him out in the first round.
However, his next fight against David Michaud at PFL 7 on October 11, 2019, resulted in a loss via unanimous decision.

### Independent promotions

Howard faced Ozzie Alvarez at CES MMA 63: Howard vs Alvarez, winning the bout via unanimous decision.
Howard faced Tyler Ray at XMMA 3 on October 23, 2021. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Howard faced Ramazan Kuramagomedov at Eagle FC 44, on January 28, 2022. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.
Howard faced Ange Loosa on April 2, 2022, at XMMA 4. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

## Personal life

Howard has three daughters, one with one woman and two with another; the girls live with their mothers. Before fighting professionally, Howard worked as an electrician. He is also a diehard New England Patriots fan, and is a fan of all of the professional teams out of Boston including the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Bruins. He also enjoys playing video games in his free time. In 2016, after undergoing a series of non-invasive neurological tests, Howard was diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder at the age of 33. Referring to this diagnosis, Howard said "Now a lot of stuff in my life makes sense. Now I'm thinking about my life, it makes sense why I do certain things. Even to this day."

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Fight of the Night (One time)
** Knockout of the Night (One time)
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2009: Ranked #7 Newcomer of the Year
* Ring of Combat
** ROC Welterweight Championship (One time)
* CES MMA
** CES Middleweight Championship (One time)

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 49 matches | 29 wins | 19 losses |
| By knockout | 10 | 4 |
| By submission | 7 | 2 |
| By decision | 12 | 13 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 29–19–1 | Ange Loosa | Decision (unanimous) | XMMA 4: Black Magic | April 2, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Loss | 29–18–1 | Ramazan Kuramagomedov | Decision (unanimous) | Eagle FC 44 | January 28, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | Super Welterweight bout. |
| Loss | 29–17–1 | Tyler Ray | Decision (unanimous) | XMMA 3: Vice City | October 23, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Won | 29–16–1 | Ozzie Alvarez | Decision (unanimous) | CES MMA 63: Howard vs Alvarez | August 6, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Springfield, Massachusetts, United States | Middleweight bout. |
| Loss | 28–16–1 | David Michaud | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 7 (2019) | October 11, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 2019 PFL Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 28–15–1 | Ray Cooper III | KO (punches) | PFL 4 (2019) | July 11, 2019 | 1 | 3:23 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 27–15–1 | Magomed Magomedkerimov | Submission (guillotine choke) | PFL 1 (2019) | May 9, 2019 | 1 | 4:54 | Uniondale, New York, United States | Return to Welterweight. |
| Draw | 27–14–1 | Louis Taylor | Technical Draw (illegal knee) | PFL 10 (2018) | October 20, 2018 | 2 | 4:55 | Washington, D.C., United States | 2018 PFL Middleweight Tournament Semifinal bout. Eliminated via first round tiebreaker. |
| Win | 27–14 | Eddie Gordon | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 10 (2018) | October 20, 2018 | 2 | 5:00 | Washington, D.C., United States | 2018 PFL Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 26–14 | Bruno Santos | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 6 (2018) | August 16, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 26–13 | Gasan Umalatov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PFL 3 (2018) | July 5, 2018 | 2 | 2:59 | Washington D.C., United States | |
| Win | 25–13 | Roger Carroll | Decision (unanimous) | CES MMA 46: Howard vs. Carroll | October 27, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States | |
| Loss | 24–13 | Abubakar Nurmagomedov | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 33 | October 7, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | Welterweight bout. |
| Win | 24–12 | Michael Arrant | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 31 | June 17, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | Return to Middleweight. |
| Loss | 23–12 | Tim Means | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant | December 10, 2015 | 2 | 0:21 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 23–11 | Cathal Pendred | Decision (split) | UFC 189 | July 11, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 22–11 | Lorenz Larkin | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver | January 18, 2015 | 1 | 2:17 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Loss | 22–10 | Brian Ebersole | Decision (split) | UFC 178 | September 27, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 22–9 | Ryan LaFlare | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson | April 11, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 22–8 | Siyar Bahadurzada | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 168 | December 28, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Return to Welterweight. |
| Win | 21–8 | Uriah Hall | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen | August 17, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 20–8 | Chris Woodall | TKO (punches) | CES MMA: New Blood | June 7, 2013 | 1 | 2:14 | Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States | Defended the CES Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 19–8 | Jason Louck | KO (punches) | CES MMA: Path to Destruction | April 12, 2013 | 1 | 0:23 | Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States | Defended the CES Middleweight Championship. |
| Loss | 18–8 | Leandro Batata | Decision (unanimous) | HFR 2: High Fight Rock 2 | October 27, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Goiânia, Brazil | |
| Win | 18–7 | Brett Chism | TKO (punches) | CES MMA: Real Pain | October 6, 2012 | 2 | 3:31 | Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States | Defended the CES Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 17–7 | Scott Rehm | TKO (arm injury) | CES MMA: Far Beyond Driven | August 3, 2012 | 1 | 1:28 | Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States | Defended the CES Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 16–7 | Todd Chattelle | TKO (punches) | CES MMA: Never Surrender | April 13, 2012 | 2 | 4:42 | Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States | Won the CES Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–7 | Dennis Olson | Decision (unanimous) | CFA 3 | October 9, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 14–7 | Matt Brown | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry | June 26, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Loss | 14–6 | Thiago Alves | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 124 | December 11, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| Loss | 14–5 | Jake Ellenberger | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko | August 1, 2010 | 3 | 2:21 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 14–4 | Daniel Roberts | KO (punches) | UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones | March 21, 2010 | 1 | 2:01 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 13–4 | Dennis Hallman | KO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale | December 5, 2009 | 3 | 4:55 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–4 | Tamdan McCrory | Decision (split) | UFC 101 | August 8, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 11–4 | Chris Wilson | Decision (split) | UFC 94 | January 31, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 10–4 | Charlie Brenneman | Decision (unanimous) | Ring of Combat 21 | September 12, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Won the ROC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–4 | Nick Calandrino | TKO (punches) | IFL: Connecticut | May 16, 2008 | 3 | 2:24 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Return to Welterweight. |
| Win | 8–4 | Jose Rodriguez | KO (punches) | Ring of Combat 18 | March 7, 2008 | 1 | 4:07 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 7–4 | Dan Miller | Decision (unanimous) | Ring of Combat 17 | November 30, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Middleweight bout. |
| Loss | 7–3 | Woody Weatherby | TKO (punches) | WFL 19 | September 29, 2007 | 1 | 2:32 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | Welterweight debut. For the vacant WFL Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–2 | Mandela K'ponou | Submission (armbar) | CZ 23 | August 25, 2007 | 1 | N/A | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Nick Catone | Decision (unanimous) | CFFC 5 | June 23, 2007 | 3 | N/A | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Josh Rosaaen | Submission (triangle choke) | CFFC 4 | April 13, 2007 | 3 | 1:17 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 5–1 | Alexandre Moreno | Submission (armbar) | WFL 10 | September 23, 2006 | 1 | N/A | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Jason Dublin | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | CZ 15 | April 24, 2006 | 2 | 2:39 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | Won the vacant CZ Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Aldo Santos | Submission (armbar) | WFL 4 | December 3, 2005 | 1 | 3:41 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Mandela K'ponou | Submission (heel hook) | WFL 1 | February 5, 2005 | 2 | 2:52 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Les Richardson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CZ 9 | December 4, 2004 | 2 | 2:53 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jason Dublin | Decision (unanimous) | CZ 8 | October 2, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |