John "Doomsday" Howard Talks Hallman, Hughes

I recently got the chance to interview John "Doomsday" Howard for Tapology in order to discuss his upcoming bout against Dennis "Superman" Hallman at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, as well as his desire to fight former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes should he emerge from his December 5 battle victorious.

On fighting Dennis Hallman

Tapology: Moving on to December 5, you are fighting Dennis Hallman. Do you think the biggest threat he poses to you is the ground game, or are you looking for him to test you elsewhere as well?

Howard: Basically the ground game and his clinch game is pretty good. His striking is basic, but I come from a boxing background so I think I have a little more experience in that area than he does.

Tapology: Do you think Hallman’s best days are behind him or are you looking for the best we have seen of him?

Howard: I preparing for the Hallman who submitted Matt Hughes. I know he is training hard for me—this is his big chance to get another shot at Matt Hughes—and I’m sorry that he has to go through me to get it. I’m not going in there to lose. If he does beat me, oh well, but I’m going out with a fight.

Tapology: You mentioned training on the ground with Lauzon, but do you think your boxing is going to give you the edge in this fight?

Howard: I think my boxing will be a little sharper than his, and I think I’m faster than him. I think I can hang with him on the ground, but I don’t think it would be smart for me to mess with him there.

On Superman vs. Doomsday:

Tapology: Your nickname is "Doomsday" while Hallman’s is "Superman". Do you know if the UFC put that match together on purpose or no?

Howard: I actually heard it was by accident. I always wanted to fight someone named Superman; it’s just so awesome, and I think it’s going to bring a lot to this fight specifically, because a lot of comic book geeks like me will bring a lot of attention.

Tapology: Do you see the fight going anything like it did in the comic books?

Howard: Yeah, I’m all into the comic books, but I want to stop Superman from coming back—he always came back in the comic books.

On Matt Hughes:

Tapology: If you do win this fight, you are probably looking at some bigger names in the welterweight division. Is there anyone that jumps out at you specifically that you might want to fight down the line?

Howard: If I beat Hallman, I want to fight Matt Hughes. If I beat the guy that beat Hughes twice, I want Hughes. I feel confident that I have the skills to beat him.

Be sure to read the full interview to get details on Howard's current training camp, his thoughts on his first two UFC fights, his thoughts on fighting local favorite Marcus Davis in the future, and more.