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Harold Howard Bio
Harold Clarence Howard (born 1958) is a Canadian martial artist who earned a blackbelt in Jujutsu under O-Sensei Steve Reynolds and in Gōjū-ryū karate under Yogi Israel and was the first World Sport Jujutsu Heavyweight Champion in 1984. Howard is more widely known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he made it to the final of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's third tournament. Howard is also well known for once executing a scissor-flip kick similar to that of Japanese pro wrestler Jushin "Thunder" Liger during his battle with Steve Jennum in the UFC 3 finals.
Biography
Early life
Howard grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He began training at age 17 with O-Sensei Steve Reynolds in Jiu-Jitsu Kai. Harold moved to Niagara Falls in 1983 and taught Karate and Jiu Jitsu at James Morden School and the YMCA. Harold opened his Action Karate and Jiu Jitsu Centre (as the Niagara Fighting Griffin Fitness and Martial Arts) in 1984 and has excelled both as a competitor and as a trainer/coach having various students among the top Sport Karate and Sport Jiu-Jitsu competitors in the world.
Howard has earned a 4th degree in Iki Shin Do (under Sensei John Anderson), 3rd degree in Jujutsu Kai (O-Sensei Steve Reynolds), 3rd degree in Gōjū-ryū (Hanshi Yogi Israel), and a 2nd degree in Shito-ryū (Sensei Monty Guest). He is the founder of the Katsudo-te-Jitsu style and is a 6th Degree - 2 grades above his highest ranking students.
Jujutsu
In 1984, Harold was the first Canadian Heavyweight Sport Ju-Jutsu Champion and represented Canada in the first world ju-jutsu championships sanctioned by the World Council of Ju-Jutsu Organizations (WCJO).
At the 1984 World Championships, he was a member of the gold medal winning Canadian team (heavyweight) and also won the individual World Heavyweight Jiu-Jitsu Championship as the gold medal winner of the mens heavyweight fighting division.
Karate
Howard captured the Canadian Heavy Weight Karate Championship three times in 1982, 1983 and 1984 and was a member of the Canadian National Karate team in 1986 and 1987. During that time he was the top rated sport karate fighter in Canada.
After career ending back surgery in 1988, Howard made his return to compition in 1992 (at 34) and won a silver medal at the NBL (National Blackbelt League) World Championships in Sport Karate. He was undefeated entering the finals but had to bow out of the final 2 matches to due to injury.
Mixed martial arts
Howard's first professional bout was in UFC 3: The American Dream, where his first opponent was Roland Payne. He scored a KO in 46 seconds and went on to face the feared Brazilian, Royce Gracie, who threw in the towel before the contest due to exhaustion from his previous bout. Howard then advanced to the finals of the tournament, since there were no other opponents for Howard to face (the two alternate competitors for the card were already being utilized to replace the injured Ken Shamrock and Keith Hackney).
Howard faced Steve Jennum in the finals. Jennum was an alternate on the card, replacing Ken Shamrock, which meant that Jennum was placed in the finals of the tournament without having to win a single match. Howard would lose to Jennum due to strikes at 1:27. After the fight, an unusually upbeat Howard said during an interview, "Well, I told you, if it worked it worked. But it did and I didn't. So in the end it didn't."
Following his loss to Jennum, he succumbed to two more losses against Mark Hall and Hugo Duarte, both due to submission (strikes). His professional career was cut short by injury after only two years.
At the weigh in to UFC Fight Night 20, Tom Lawlor paid tribute to Howard, imitating an axe kick which the former threw against Jennum, as well as his trademark saying "If you're coming on, come on!"
Personal life
Harold is married with three children, two sons and a daughter. Up until 2009, Howard was doing roofing jobs while still operating a small school—Howard’s Self-Defense Systems in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
On December 22, 2009 Howard was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, attempted breaking and entering, failure to remain, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, mischief and two counts breach of recognizance after being captured by police. The events leading to said arrest include attacking his sister and nephew with a hammer, attempting to force his way into his estranged wife's home, and finally crashing his car into the Fallsview Casino. In the end, Harold was sentenced to just shy of five years in prison.
Mixed martial arts record
External links
- Professional MMA record for Harold Howard from Sherdog
- http://www.mmafighting.com/interviews/peterodley.html
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