After weeks of petitioning for a UFC return in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, John Howard now has his wish granted.

He has an opportunity to take out the runner-up from season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, Uriah Hall, at the August 17 event. 

Mixedmartialarts.com first reported news that Howard would fight on the UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen card, with The Boston Herald being the first to reveal that “Doomsday” will be fighting Hall.

Howard fills in for another TUF alumnus in Josh Samman, who himself was replacing Hall’s original opponent, Nick Ring.

The heavy-handed boxer went 6-1 for Classic Entertainment and Sports MMA, a well-known regional promotion in the New England area, capturing their middleweight title.

All seven of those bouts took place at middleweight, which appears to be the right move as all of his UFC losses were contested at the 170-pound welterweight limit.

Hall looked to be the next big thing at 185-pounds after scoring vicious knockouts over all three of his opponents during the filming of TUF.

Therefore, it was no surprise he was a massive favorite against Team Sonnen teammate/friend Kevin Gestulum prior to their match up in April.

However, Gestulum was able to exploit “Prime Time’s” grappling deficiencies and was awarded a split decision, with few media outlets or fans arguing that Hall was the rightful victor.

A convincing win at the TD Garden for either fighter would put the middleweight division on notice.

Will Howard derail the Hall hype train for good or will the versatile knockout specialist prove his recent loss was just a minor setback?