JOHN HOWARD UFC 101 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW "Dan Miller, I want you to prove you really beat me!"

John Howard: Talks UFC 101 in Philly, Boston’s Good & Bad Side and Grudge Matches

Says to UFC Middleweight, Dan Miller, "I want it proven that he really beat me!"

A HEADBUSSA EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Boston mixed martial artist, John Howard is the new breed of MMA athlete. Showcasing athleticism and producing exciting fights, Howard jumped from the small show to the UFC and gained a win over UFC Welterweight, Chris Wilson.

On the eve of a fight against Tamdan McCrory in Philadelphia at UFC 101 on Saturday, September 8th, Howard is prepared to do battle. With a goal to turn the UFC upside down and avenge an old loss, Howard is the new one to watch in MMA.

1. Where did you grow up and what was it like growing up there?

JH: I’m from Dorchester, Massachusetts; in Boston it's a really rough neighborhood. It wasn’t easy growing up I had a single mother raising me. It was just me, her and my little sister and I had a rough upbringing but it made me into the man I am today.

2. Tell me about John Howard the early athlete; what sports did you play growing up?

JH: Growing up, believe it or not, I was more a baseball and a football guy man. I was short, I’m one of the shortest guys out there and because I was short it was the only sports that I could play. I tried to play ball but that didn’t last long. Everybody was 6’1 or 6’2 and in high school I was like 5’5 so it sucked. I played football and baseball; in football I was a tailback. My coach was funny he was like, ‘you’re short, you’re stocky its going to be hard to catch you so run, just run, just get the ball and just duck under everybody and run. Use your line and exploit your line and when you see a hole open use the hole and get out of there.

3. How did you get into the martial arts or have you trained in the martial arts your whole life?

JH: Growing up I had an uncle who knew martial arts. He used to teach me here and there but nothing too serious. I really got into martial arts when I went into Job Corp, I went to Job Corps to be an electrician, and I got my electrician’s degree. As I was training to be an electrician I started training fro grappling and I met this guy up there. He brought me into a room and showed me some basic grappling techniques and kid of kicked my ass a little bit. After that I flew away with it and then I came back to Boston and then I started to fuck with it. That was in Limestone, Maine. The guy was another student he had been there a little longer than me. He was just another student and he introduced me to grappling and I did think he was a little crazy but grappling with him was pretty awesome. I thank him, I want to thank him his name is James Stokes I didn’t get a chance to thank him since I’ve been in the UFC.

4.Did you have an amateur career or did you go straight to being a professional fighter?

JH: I went straight to pro because Massachusetts didn’t have an amateur side yet. Mass just started amateur. In Mass if you weren’t pro you wasn’t fighting so I went pro.

5. Your first couple of fights was on the east coast or did you travel a lot?

JH: My first five fights were all on the east coast and Mass; I was 5-0.

6. When you started your MMA career you went on a 5-fight win streak, what factors do you believe led to such early success?

JH: I’m going to say a mix of determination and good coaching staff at the time and good support; that’s what led to that.

7. Along the way you fought Dan Miller in the Ring of Combat via a decision loss. Now that both of you are in the UFC, do you feel any kinship coming up with him on your record?

JH: You can’t beat a hometown hero in his own town it doesn’t happen its very rare. Look that fight (up) online and it was the closest fight ever, I gave that guy the fight of his life. I broke his face he will never forget me. I will never forget him but I will never forget that. I went to the club and he went to the hospital. Matter fact he left on a stretcher, I have video of that and I never posted it on You Tube but I have video of that, him leaving on a stretcher to the hospital. He knew (laughs) he was in a fight with me. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, I like him and I’d like to actually get a rematch with him that would be an awesome fight man. I don’t know if he’d do it at 170lbs or if I’d do it at 185lbs but I’d love that rematch. That’s one person that I would go up to fight because I want that rematch I want it proven that he really beat me because it was by decision. I’ll never forget that I like that he went to the hospital so I don’t know. Definitely that fight right there was the fight to watch I’m telling everybody watch that fight, re-watch that fight and take in mind I was a middleweight I was 185lbs.

8. You were in the IFL talk about your time there?

JH: That was a weird situation man. I was with Team Bomb Squad. The opponent I had originally dropped out so I had to fight a teammate (laughs) from the Bomb Squad. It was an entry fight, it was a 1-fight deal, and it was basically to see if I even belonged in the IFL and unfortunately it fell through after my fight. But that was actually a good fight. His name was Nick Calandrino, he’s an all-American wrestler and it was a really close fight. The referee stopped it due to punches but I respect that kid that kid is real tough, real athletic and unbelievably strong man and it was a really, really good fight, one of the best fights I’ve had it was awesome man.

9. Your next battle is against Tamdan "The Barn Cat" McCrory a hard-nosed UFC Welterweight. What do you feel are some are some of your next opponent, Tamdan McCrory's strengths?

JH: Real long, he hits hard, always comes in shape and he comes to bang he never lets up. Even if you’re kicking his ass he’ll come back and kick yours. He’s a pretty good grappler, submitted a few guys; he submitted Pete Spratt, which is actually pretty impressive. He’s just game man he’s just ready.

10. What are some of Tamdan’s weaknesses?

JH: not too much man. He’s vulnerable on the ground in certain positions but I don’t want to name too many, but that’s about it. His striking I think I might be the harder hitter but I think he’s the more accurate hitter. For every punch I land he might get 2-3 off on me so it’s going to be a really close fight I think.

11. What are your strengths going into this fight?

JH: My boxing I have pretty good boxing and that’s what I’ve been using so far. My boxing I think has been carrying me through my whole career. My hand speed is my strength right there.

12. What are the weaknesses you feel you need to work on?

JH: (Laughs) Everything man, I need to work on everything man. I still have so much to learn. Its funny you think you know something fighting in the UFC but then you go back to the gym and your coach shows you something new and it just proves to you that you know absolutely nothing. I got power man, power that carried all the way into the UFC man so what I’m going to do is work on every single little thing: grappling, wrestling, striking all that.

13. Training?

JH: Since my 5-fight win streak I changed camps twice, I’ve been through two camps. My first was Brazilian Martial Arts Center we called it BMAC. Also from there I trained at BIT and also Chinese Kickboxing. From Chinese Kickboxing my fighting school was Wai Kru; Wai Kru was the school that got me where I needed to be.

14. As you progress in your mixed martial arts career what do you want fans to take away with them from a John Howard fight?

JH: I’m different, I’m fucking wild and I’m crazy. I’m something to watch; you know how when basketball came out, basketball was something to watch with And 1 and everybody was like, ‘wow did you just see that, is that even possible!” That’s what they can say for me, man. I don’t promise a win, I don’t promise the rules but I promise a stellar fight man. I’m always the guy who’s going to do something stupid. I just worry about the fight I fight to have fun and I will probably do something crazy and stupid probably every other fight or every fight knowing me.

15. What kind of music do you train to?

JH: I train to everything man: hard rock, soft rock, hip-hop, R&B; I’m not really to picky man. It depends on how the mood is, if the mood is smooth or a little upbeat maybe some R&B, if I feel a little thuggish maybe some hip-hop, if I feel like a rocker then its rock and roll. I’m not really picky and I’m very open-minded to a lot of things you’d be surprised; I’m not close-minded at all.

16. Do you think more African-American males will begin training based n the positive examples of fighters like yourself, Rashad Evans, Houston Alexander and so on?

JH: I think they will, I think they see the sport coming along and they will. I think we are better in boxing and I think we still prefer to watch boxing; boxing has a larger history and I respect watching boxing but I think there is a conversion occurring. There will be a conversion of young black athletes coming and seeing what this is, seeing the discipline it takes and how fun it is. This conversion is a beautiful thing man.

17. What was it like growing up in Boston? We hear the names of the rough neighborhoods: Mattapan, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, etc., what was it like living amongst this environment?

JH: Growing up in these neighborhoods isn’t easy man. When you say Boston people think Harvard and Boston University and all the educational institutions we have but Boston has a rough side to it man, we have some gangsters here man. I’ve been in my battles where I had to do what I had to do to survive; it wasn’t easy. Mattapan we used to call it Murder-pan, you go to Mattapan with the wrong hat or two and trust me you’re not walking out. One thing about Boston we are now truly the city of champions. I say that because between the Red Sox, Patriots, the Celtics, I mean we’re just coming out with championship’s left and right. Now, I think we can bring another champion back to Boston or Mass with Kenny Florian and after Kenny brings that belt back to Mass we will truly be the city of champions.