One-on-One with Jonathan Goulet: Quebec’s “Road Warrior” on Fighting, Family, and The End of the World

By Elton Hobson

Jonathan Goulet had his first professional fight when he was 22 years old, in a small river town just a couple miles south of Montreal. And if his decade in the fight game since then has proven anything, it’s that you really can come home again.

On November 13th, Goulet returns once again to his old stomping grounds of Montreal. Opposite him that night will be IFL vet Chris “The Menace” Clements. Up for grabs - the Ringside MMA Welterweight Championship, in the headling bout of the Quebec promotions 9th card.

It’s a fight that could establish the next Canadian star to watch - or to keep watching, as Goulet’s case may be.

A veteran of 35 professional fights, Goulet had walked a long and winding road that would take him from Las Vegas to Honolulu to Fayetteville and everywhere (and anywhere) in between. One of Canada’s most respected and battle-proven MMA stars, Goulet has 7 UFC fights to his credit, not to mention a resume that read’s like a “who’s who?” of Canadian MMA promotions.

That’s all well and good, but Goulet isn’t focusing on the past - the future is too important. That’s because for Jonathan Goulet, the world ends on November 13th.

“November thirteenth, my fight against [Chris] Clements, will be the end of the world. I don’t have any other plans after that. I have no idea what is going to happen after that.” Goulet tells me, deadly serious.

“Every day after that one is a gift.”

It’s a startling statement of focus for a fighter entering bout number 36. But Goulet’s not counting on his experience to see him through here - for him, every fight is his first, and his last.

“I don’t think [my] experience will be a major factor. If I win, it’ll be because I’m the better fighter, not because I have been doing [MMA] longer.”

It’s hard to imagine a fighter with Goulet’s ring age still making big changes and improvements in his style - old dogs learning new tricks and all that. But anyone who’s seen Goulet’s most recent bouts has seen an evolution in the Vitctoriaville natives wrestling and overall ground game. Call it taking a page out of team mate Georges St. Pierre’s playbook - or just being a smart fighter.

So what changes has he made in camp for this fight?

“I’ve been working on my wrestling, of course.” Goulet explains. “That’s the key for MMA. You need really, really good wrestling to win at the top level. I think you see examples of that in all the top guys in every division. So I definitely [am] always working on my wrestling, and on my submission skills as well.”

Not that he’s neglecting his stand-up training, either. Against Clements, a Shawn Tompkins prospect with heavy hands, Goulet will have to counter power with poise - and silence critics of his stand-up skills.

“Honestly, I know what I have to work on. For this fight, I’m working on my boxing, my kickboxing. I have to get better head movement, better footwork, better defensive skills, you know? That’s what I’ve been working on and that’s what I want to show in this fight.”

For Goulet, this fight ultimately comes down to the same thing all his fights do: family. Nothing motivates him more then his fiance and his young daughter, who stand behind him, keep him on-track, and celebrate with him after every win.

“I fight for my family. I fight for my daughter. She’s the reason I do this, to give a good life to her, you know? To give her whatever kind of life she wants. I would die in the ring for my daughter if it came down to that. No question.”

When there’s a belt on the line, the fight always takes on a special significance. There may be even more riding on the outcome of this fight, however. With the UFC coming back to Montreal and Vancouver in the near future - and a potential Toronto date not far away - there’s plenty of spots about to become open for promising Canadian fighters.

Not that Goulet needs a job right now.

“That’s not a major goal for me to come back to the UFC [right now].” says Goulet. “I’ve already been there. Of course, I would love the opportunity to fight in the UFC, I would never pass that up. If I were to go there again I would be happy, but it’s not what motivates me right now.”

“My plan right now is to fight all over the world. I’ve to a lot of places in my career, I think I would like to visit a few more before I’m done. I have a good relationship with Ringside right now, too. I’m just going to win this fight and take things from there.”

Win this fight. Sounds simple enough. Don’t mistake confidence for bravado, however. Goulet has nothing but respect for his opponent come the 13th.

“He’s a really tough guy, a tough fighter. I don’t expect an easy fight from him at all, in fact I expect a war. He’s the type of fighter you know is going to come at you the whole time. So it’s going to be a war, I know that for sure.

And I’m going to find a way to win that war.”

Does he care to make an official prediction?

“For this, I’m going to be a bit cocky. Submission, 1st Round.”

Exclusive Interview with Chris “The Menace” Clements coming soon!