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.[3] Howard once sparred against Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a boxer, when the two trained at Wai Kru Mixed Martial Arts in Boston.[4][5]
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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Howard was expected to face Martin Kampmann on June 26, 2011, at UFC on Versus 4[9] However, Kampmann was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Matt Brown.[10] 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.[11]
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.[12] He defeated Hall via split decision.[13]
Howard returned to Welterweight and faced Siyar Bahadurzada on December 28, 2013, at UFC 168.[14] He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Howard was then expected to face Rick Story at UFC Fight Night 45 on July 16, 2014.[16] However, he was forced from the bout due to injury and was replaced by returning veteran Leonardo Mafra.[17]
Howard faced Brian Ebersole on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178.[18] He lost the fight via split decision.
Howard was expected to face Brandon Thatch on July 11, 2015, at UFC 189.[20] 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.[21] Howard won the fight via split decision.[22]
After winning against Michael Arrant at WSOF 31 via unanimous decision, Howard faced Abubakar Nurmagomedov on October 7, 2016, at WSOF33,[26] 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.[27]
On July 11, 2019, at PFL 4, he faced Ray Cooper III, winning the bout after knocking him out in the first round.[28]
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.[29]
Howard faced Ange Loosa on April 2, 2022, at XMMA 4.[31] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[32]
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.[33] 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."[34]
^"WSOF 34". pictaram.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
^"Магомед Магомедкеримов победил Джона Ховарда". AllBoxing.ru - все новости бокса, ММА (MMA), UFC (ЮФС), Bellator, ACA, бои без правил. Видео и фото, прямые трансляции (in Russian). 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
