Issue 044
December 2008
As his nickname suggests, Jonathan ‘The Road Warrior’ Goulet has spent much of his eight-year-long MMA career fighting in front of foreign crowds, often thousands of miles away from his Canadian homeland.
The 33-fight veteran was given a rare chance to perform in front of a hometown crowd in April 2008 as he went head-to head in a ‘fight of the night’ encounter with Kuniyoshi Hironaka at UFC 83 in Montreal. With three straight wins under his belt, the crazy-haired scrapper has earned a spot on the massive UFC 92 card and will take on the weight-cutting master of the guillotine choke, Mike Swick.
Where are you right now?
I just finished wrestling and I’m at home with my girl.
How did you get started in MMA?
I was working in a bar as a bouncer and I got beat up by four guys. I decided to not let that happen again, you know what I mean? I kicked out the wrong guy, so some guys just beat me up – but I don’t want to talk about those kind of guys. I don’t have any more problems with them! [Laughs]
What fight do you remember as the toughest of your career so far?
My toughest win was against Jeff Joslin. That was my first fight in the welterweight class and I wasn’t prepared to lose that much weight. I didn’t do any dieting; I just cut my weight in the sauna and in the ring – that was terrible. Because I didn’t cut my weight perfectly, that’s the toughest fight I had. I got punched, I got cut – a little cut that wasn’t scary. My face was beaten up, kind of similar to after the Hironaka fight.
What sticks out in your mind from the Hironaka fight?
It was my 33rd fight and the last minute of the first round was my longest minute ever. When he rocked me and I fell on my back, I was always trying to escape, to survive, because I was feeling the ref behind me, he was ready to stop the fight. I didn’t hear the clap for the last ten seconds, so I was hoping he didn’t stop the fight to give the win to the other guy.
What else do you remember from that fight?
I was in survival mode, so every hit that I gave him was to really hurt him, it was only instinct. I think the right knocked him out, but without the left hook, I wouldn’t have got him, you know what I mean? The left hook was really important.
What’s the hardest you have ever hit someone?
I knocked a lot of people out with my right foot. I think the hardest I hit someone with it was Jason Rigsby at Extreme Challenge 49. I kicked him in the head after six seconds of the first round!
How did you manage to catch him so early?
That’s not the first time I did that, it was like I saw him coming in slow motion and he wanted to knock me out with his right hand, but he dropped his left hand. I saw the opening and I kicked him right in the head. He was on the ground for a minute, two minutes; he wasn’t moving. I was scared! I was alone there without cornermen, without trainers, and I almost killed that guy.
Your career has taken an upturn with three straight wins – what’s next for you?
My next opponent will be Mike Swick on December 10th. That’s the first time I talk about that – I just signed the contract! He’s a good fighter, a quick fighter, he is versatile. All my friends are trying to guillotine me [laughs] they are trying to help me because of ‘The Swick-otine’.
What do you think about the name he’s given his guillotine?
Oh that Swick-otine! [Laughs again, before turning dead serious] No, no, I’m not kidding, he’s dangerous with that move, so I have to be careful.
What kind of performance can we expect from you in December?
Like always, I will put pressure on him and I won’t let him put pressure on me. If he puts pressure on me and I am not able to deal with it, we have a plan – it should be the best event of the year!
What do you remember about your first professional fight?
I was kind of scared, but my coach came back before the fight and told me, “Don’t waste your time on the feet with him, take him to the ground and submit him because he is too good in boxing.” I was scared, but it took me 40 seconds to submit him with a rear naked choke!
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