John Hathaway

John Lawrence Hathaway (born 1 July 1987) is an English mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. He has also competed in catch wrestling, winning gold at the World Championships three times.

Background and early career
Formerly an open-side flanker for local rugby team Hove RFC, Hathaway decided to make the transition to mixed martial arts after watching the Ultimate Fighting championship on television. He made his professional MMA debut on 25 June 2006, defeating his opponent via rear naked choke in the first round.

John Hathaway currently trains at London Shootfighters. Hathaway also trained in the US with American Top Team and 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
After signing a four fight deal, Hathaway was scheduled to fight undefeated Tom Egan at UFC 93. He made an impressive UFC debut, scoring a dominant first round TKO win over Egan via elbows.

Hathaway defeated the debuting Rick Story via unanimous decision at UFC 99.

Hathaway's next fight was against Paul Taylor at UFC 105. Hathaway won a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).

Hathaway then faced the biggest fight of his career as he fought Diego Sanchez on 29 May 2010 at UFC 114, in Sanchez' return to welterweight. In the first round, Hathaway dropped Sanchez with a knee to the head, as Sanchez attempted a takedown. Hathaway then dominated with ground and pound. The rest of the fight saw Hathaway utilize his reach advantage to dominate the striking, which gave him the unanimous decision victory.

Hathaway was expected to face Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 120, but Kim was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Mike Pyle. Hathaway lost to Pyle via unanimous decision after being overmatched by the heavy underdog. This loss was also the first of his career.

Hathaway fought Kris McCray on 26 March 2011 at UFC Fight Night 24. The fight was closely contested throughout. However, Hathaway walked away the winner via split decision.

Hathaway was expected to face Pascal Krauss on 5 November 2011 at UFC 138. However, on 30 August Krauss pulled out of the bout citing a shoulder injury, and was replaced by Matt Brown. On 17 October, Hathaway himself was forced to pull out of the bout due to an undisclosed injury. As a result, Brown was pulled from the card and shifted to UFC 139.

Hathaway/Krauss took place on 5 May 2012 at UFC on Fox 3. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Hathaway beat John Maguire via unanimous decision on 29 September 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 5.

Hathaway was expected to face Erick Silva on 8 June 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 10. However, Hathaway was pulled from the bout in late April and replaced by Jason High.

Hathaway returned from his extended hiatus to face Dong Hyun Kim on 1 March 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter: China Finale. He lost the fight via third round knockout due to a spinning back elbow.

Hathaway was expected to face Gunnar Nelson on 11 July 2015 at UFC 189. However, Hathaway pulled out of the bout on 23 June citing injury, and was replaced by Brandon Thatch.

Return from retirement
After almost 8 years after his last bout, Hathaway made his return on October 15, 2022, at Oktagon 36 against André Ricardo. He won his return, dominating the bout on the way to a unanimous decision victory.

Hathaway faced Łukasz Siwiec on June 17, 2023 at Oktagon 44, losing the bout via unanimous decision.

Catch wrestling career
During his MMA career, Hathaway became known for his wrestling ability. And during his time away from MMA, he competed in catch wrestling. In November 2018, Hathaway competed at the Catch Wrestling World Championships hosted by The Snake Pit at the University of Bolton Stadium, winning gold in the light heavyweight (90 kg) category. He returned for the 2019 World Championships, winning gold again, this time at middleweight (82 kg). At the event, Hathaway also competed in a challenge match against Nathaniel Brown, a British silver medallist in freestyle wrestling, which Hathaway won. He received the Ian Bromley trophy as "best male wrestler of the night." Due to postponements because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the next World Championships were held in June 2022. Hathaway returned again, winning gold in the middleweight (82 kg) category and receiving the Jack Carroll award for fastest win at the event.

Personal life
Hathaway was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2010. This prevented him from fighting from 2014 to 2022.

Catch wrestling

 * The Snake Pit
 * Catch Wrestling World Championships
 * 2018 - 1st place, light heavyweight (90 kg)
 * 2019 - 1st place, middleweight (82 kg); Ian Bromley trophy as "best male wrestler of the night"
 * 2022 - 1st place, middleweight (82 kg); Jack Carroll award for fastest win