Walt Harris (fighter)

Walter Jermaine Harris[3] (born June 10, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2011, Harris has also formerly competed for Titan FC. As of January 19, 2021, he is #11 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.[4]

Walt Harris
BornWalter Jermaine Harris
(1983-06-10) June 10, 1983
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Other namesThe Vault
The Big Ticket
The Skull Crusher
ResidenceHomewood, Alabama, United States
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[1]
Weight254 lb (115 kg; 18 st 2 lb)[1]
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach77 in (196 cm)[2]
StyleBoxing
Fighting out ofBirmingham, Alabama, United States
TeamSBG Alabama – Spartan Fitness
Years active2011–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total23
Wins13
By knockout13
Losses9
By knockout4
By submission1
By decision3
By disqualification1
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Before entering mixed martial arts in 2010, Harris was a basketball player at Jacksonville State University.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

Harris made his professional mixed martial arts debut on March 15, 2011, when he faced Justin Thornton at HEF: Hess Extreme Fighting. He won via first-round TKO, just sixteen seconds into the first round.[6] Following this, Harris compiled a record of 6–1, with wins over Tony Melton and UFC veteran Anthony Hamilton, before signing with UFC in the fall of 2013.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On September 19, 2013, it was announced that Harris had signed with the UFC, and he faced fellow newcomer Jared Rosholt at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale on November 30, 2013.[7] Despite dropping Rosholt in the first round, Rosholt rallied back and Harris lost the fight via unanimous decision.[8]

In his second fight with the promotion, Harris faced Nikita Krylov at UFC on Fox 10 on January 25, 2014.[9] Though he was the considerable favorite coming into the bout, Harris was staggered by a head kick from Krylov, and after follow-up strikes on the ground from Krylov, he lost the bout via TKO, just 25 seconds into the first round.[10] After dropping to 0–2 in the UFC, Harris was subsequently released from the promotion.[11]

Titan Fighting Championship

Following his UFC release, Harris signed with Florida based promotion Titan FC. He faced D.J. Linderman at Titan FC 28 on May 16, 2014.[12] He won the fight via first-round knockout.[13] He was expected to face Dave Herman at Titan FC 30 on September 26, 2014.[14] However, Harris pulled out of the bout due to a back injury and the fight was postponed.[15]

The bout with Herman was rescheduled and was expected to take place on December 19, 2014. However, Harris resigned with the UFC, and he was replaced by Jon Madsen.[16]

Return to UFC

After Daniel Omielańczuk was forced to pull out of his bout with Soa Palelei due to a thumb injury, Harris resigned with UFC and faced Palelei at UFC Fight Night 55 on November 7, 2014.[17] He lost the fight via second-round TKO.[18]

Harris faced promotional newcomer Cody East on April 23, 2016, at UFC 197.[19] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[20]

Harris next faced Shamil Abdurakhimov on October 1, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 96.[21] He lost the fight via split decision.[22]

Harris faced Chase Sherman on January 15, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 103.[23] He won the fight by knockout in the second round.[24]

Harris made his next appearance against Cyril Asker on June 17, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 111.[25] He won the fight early in the first round via TKO due to a combination of elbows and punches.[26]

Harris was expected to face Mark Godbeer on October 7, 2017, at UFC 216[27] before a fight-day injury to Derrick Lewis took him out of his scheduled fight with Fabrício Werdum. As a result, Harris moved on to face Werdum, and Godbeer was pulled from the event.[28] Harris lost the fight via submission in the first round.[29]

The bout with Godbeer was quickly rescheduled and took place on November 4, 2017, at UFC 217.[30] Harris lost the bout by disqualification after Harris hit Godbeer with a head kick following the referee calling a time out due to a groin strike.[31]

Harris faced Daniel Spitz on June 1, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 131.[32] He won the fight via knock out in the second round.[33]

Harris faced Andrei Arlovski on December 29, 2018, at UFC 232.[34] He won the fight via split decision.[35] It was reported on January 26, 2019, that Harris tested positive for LGD4033, and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) like ostarine, and he was temporarily suspended by California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).[36] In February, Harris was suspended for four months and fined $4,000. The fight result was overturned to a no contest. Per the CSAC, Harris was able to prove the positive test resulted from a tainted supplement and the commission does not believe he was an intentional doper, hence the shorter suspension.[37]

Harris was expected to face Aleksei Oleinik on May 4, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 151.[38] However, on April 3, 2019, it was announced that Oleinik would face Alistair Overeem at UFC on ESPN+ 7 after Alexander Volkov pulled from the event.[39] He was replaced by Sergey Spivak.[40] Harris won the fight via TKO in the first round.[41] This fight earned Harris his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[42]

The bout between Harris and Oleinik was rescheduled and took place on July 20, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 4.[43] Harris won the fight via knockout just 12 seconds into the first round.[44] This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.[45]

Harris was expected to face Alistair Overeem on December 7, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 7.[46] However, Harris pulled out on November 1, 2019 due to the ongoing search for his missing step-daughter.[47]

Harris was expected to face Alistair Overeem on April 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. The pairing was previously scheduled to headline UFC on ESPN 7 in December 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed.[48][49][50] The match was rescheduled to May 16, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris.[51] Despite hurting, and almost finishing Overeem in the first round, Harris went on to lose via second-round TKO.[52]

Harris faced Alexander Volkov on October 24, 2020 at UFC 254. [53] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.[54]

Politics

Harris ran for a city council seat in Homewood, AL in 2020 but finished 3rd in the race with 24 percent of the vote.[55][56]

Personal life

Harris worked as a furniture mover and also worked for UPS prior to becoming an MMA fighter. Harris is married to Angela Haley-Harris, they have four children. They are currently living in Homewood, Alabama where their children attend school.[57]

Murder of stepdaughter

At the end of October 2019, news surfaced that Harris' stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, was reported missing on October 24, 2019. Soon after, Auburn police revealed that after finding evidence from Blanchard's vehicle, they suspected foul play regarding the disappearance.[58] Subsequently, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey set up a reward of $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator, which was matched by an anonymous donor. Additionally, the UFC President Dana White and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones upped the ante by contributing $25,000 per person for the information.[59] The reward sum exceeded $100,000.[60]

On November 6, 2019, the Auburn police department released surveillance footage from an Auburn convenience store, presenting the person suspected in the disappearance, later identified as Ibraheem Yazeed, a repeat offender. On November 8, 2019, Yazeed was captured as an out-of-state fugitive in Escambia County, Florida and was extradited to Auburn.[61] On November 20, 2019, Yazeed was charged with first-degree kidnapping in an Alabama court, and remains in jail without bond.[62] On November 25, 2019 an Alabama district attorney announced that they had found the remains of a girl they believe to be Aniah Blanchard in neighboring Macon County.[63] Blanchard's remains were identified on November 27, 2019.[64][60] In late November 2019, two additional suspects, Antwain Fisher and David Lee Johnson Jr., were arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping and hindering prosecution, respectively.[65][66] In December however, Fisher's charges were dropped with prejudice in Lee county.[67] On November 28, 2019, police reports confirmed that the body found was indeed Walt's step daughter and an autopsy confirmed that Blanchard was killed by a gunshot wound. At the same time, the district attorney announced that capital murder charges were filed against Yazeed.[68]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
23 matches 13 wins 9 losses
By knockout 13 4
By submission 0 1
By decision 0 3
By disqualification 0 1
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 13–9 (1) Alexander Volkov TKO (body kick and punches) UFC 254 October 24, 2020 2 1:15 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 13–8 (1) Alistair Overeem TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris May 16, 2020 2 3:00 Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win 13–7 (1) Aleksei Oleinik KO (punch) UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards July 20, 2019 1 0:12 San Antonio, Texas, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 12–7 (1) Sergey Spivak TKO (knees and punches) UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy May 4, 2019 1 0:50 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Performance of the Night.
NC 11–7 (1) Andrei Arlovski NC (overturned) UFC 232 December 29, 2018 3 5:00 Inglewood, California, United States Originally a split decision win for Harris; overturned after he tested positive for LGD-4033.
Win 11–7 Daniel Spitz TKO (punches and elbows) UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes June 1, 2018 2 4:59 Utica, New York, United States
Loss 10–7 Mark Godbeer DQ (illegal kick) UFC 217 November 4, 2017 1 4:29 New York City, United States
Loss 10–6 Fabrício Werdum Submission (armbar) UFC 216 October 7, 2017 1 1:05 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–5 Cyril Asker TKO (punches and elbows) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia June 17, 2017 1 1:44 Kallang, Singapore
Win 9–5 Chase Sherman KO (knee and punches) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn January 15, 2017 2 2:41 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Loss 8–5 Shamil Abdurakhimov Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson October 1, 2016 3 5:00 Portland, Oregon, United States
Win 8–4 Cody East TKO (punches) UFC 197 April 23, 2016 1 4:18 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 7–4 Soa Palelei TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping November 7, 2014 2 4:49 Sydney, Australia
Win 7–3 D.J. Linderman KO (punches) Titan FC 28 May 16, 2014 1 4:12 Newkirk, Oklahoma, United States
Loss 6–3 Nikita Krylov TKO (head kick and punches) UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson January 25, 2014 1 0:25 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Loss 6–2 Jared Rosholt Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale November 30, 2013 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–1 Tony Melton TKO (punches) Strike Hard Productions 24 June 15, 2013 1 2:00 Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Win 5–1 Josh Robertson TKO (punches) Strike Hard Productions 20 December 8, 2012 1 1:06 Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Win 4–1 Anthony Hamilton KO (punches) Superior Cage Combat 4: Grove vs. Silva February 16, 2012 1 1:15 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 3–1 Cedric James KO (punches) Fight Time 7: The Return October 7, 2011 1 0:22 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Win 2–1 Wes Little KO (punch) Fight Force International: Blood & Sand 9 May 7, 2011 1 1:54 Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Loss 1–1 Chris Barnett Decision (unanimous) World Extreme Fighting 46 April 22, 2011 3 5:00 Orlando, Florida, United States
Win 1–0 Justin Thornton TKO (punches) Hess Extreme Fighting March 15, 2011 1 0:16 Panama City Beach, Florida, United States

[69]

See also

References
  1. "Walt Harris ESPN profile". Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  2. "UFC Fight Night Sydney: Print Card". UFC.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  3. "STATE OF NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRYATHLETIC COMMISSION" (PDF). boxing.nv.gov. October 7, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  4. "Rankings | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  5. "Ex-Division I college basketball player Walter Harris' potential has coach Charles McCarthy fired up". sports.yahoo.com. October 1, 2013.
  6. "Hess Extreme Fighting Results". Sherdog.com. March 15, 2011.
  7. "The UFC adds two new heavyweights to it's [sic] roster with Jared Rosholt and Walter Harris – Bloody Elbow". BloodyElbow.com. September 19, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  8. "TUF 18 Finale: Jared Rosholt vs. Walt Harris". Tapology.com. November 30, 2013.
  9. "Nikita Krylov vs. Walt Harris added to UFC on Fox 10". BloodyElbow.com. December 6, 2013.
  10. "UFC on FOX 10 results, photos: Nikita Krylov stuns Walt Harris in 25-second beatdown". MMAJunkie.com. January 25, 2014.
  11. "Heavyweight Walt Harris latest fighter to receive UFC release". FoxSports.com. March 28, 2014.
  12. "D.J. Linderman Goes Back to Roots to Bring Pain in His Titan Fighting Debut". TitanFighting.com. May 5, 2014.
  13. "Titan FC 28: Walt Harris vs. DJ Linderman". Tapology.com. May 16, 2014.
  14. "Resurgent UFC Veterans Dave Herman and Walt Harris Square Off at Titan FC 30". MMAWeekly.com. June 25, 2014.
  15. "Back injury to Walt Harris delays fight against Dave Herman to November in Titan FC". themmareport.com. September 17, 2014.
  16. "Dave Herman vs. Jon Madsen set for inaugural heavyweight title at Titan FC 32". themmareport.com. October 21, 2014.
  17. "Walt Harris returns to UFC, meets Soa Palelei at UFC Fight Night 55". MMAJunkie.com. October 21, 2014.
  18. "UFC Fight Night 55 results: Soa Palelei pounds out Walt Harris, then sings". MMAJunkie.com. November 7, 2014.
  19. Staff (April 4, 2016). "After Legacy 51 win, Cody East signs with UFC, faces Walt Harris at UFC 197". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  20. Brent Brookhouse (April 23, 2016). "UFC 197 results: Walt Harris' heavy hands lead to first-round TKO of Cody East". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  21. Staff (August 1, 2016). "3 more added to UFC Fight Night 96". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  22. Matt Erickson (October 1, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 96 results: Shamil Abdurakhimov takes split from Walt Harris in heavyweight ho-hummer". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
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  29. "UFC 216 results: Fabricio Werdum armbars Walt Harris in just over a minute". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
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  32. DNA, MMA. "Harris vs. Spitz & Brooks vs. Sandoval toegevoegd aan UFC Utica". mmadna.nl. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
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  37. Raimondi, Marc (February 28, 2019). "Walt Harris suspended four months by CSAC for positive drug test, UFC 232 win overturned". MMA Fighting. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  38. Ariel Helwani (March 5, 2019). "UFC books Oleinik-Harris for May 4". espn.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
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  40. Lee, Alexander K. (April 9, 2019). "Unbeaten Sergey Spivak steps in to fight Walt Harris at UFC Ottawa". MMA Fighting. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  41. Straus, Mike; MMA, LowKick (May 5, 2019). "UFC Ottawa Results: Walt Harris Batters Serghei Spivac". LowKickMMA.com. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  42. Stephie Haynes (May 4, 2019). "UFC Ottawa post-fight bonuses: Cerrone and Iaquinta score FOTN honors". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  43. Lee, Alexander K. (May 16, 2019). "UFC San Antonio bouts announced, including Liz Carmouche vs. Roxanne Modafferi, Aleksei Oleinik vs. Walt Harris". MMA Fighting. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  44. Anderson, Jay (July 20, 2019). "UFC San Antonio Results: Walt Harris Knocks Out Oleinik in Twelve Seconds". Cageside Press. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
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  46. Steven Marrocco (August 13, 2019). "Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris headlines UFC on ESPN 7". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  47. Mike Bohn (November 1, 2019). "Walt Harris withdraws from UFC on ESPN 7 headliner vs. Alistair Overeem". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  48. Nolan King and John Morgan (March 15, 2020). "UFC postpones three events amid growing coronavirus outbreak". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  49. DNA, MMA. "Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris opnieuw ingepland, ditmaal voor 16 mei". Retrieved April 9, 2020.
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  51. Martin, Damon (May 1, 2020). "UFC reveals full fight cards for May 13 and May 16 events". MMA Fighting. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  52. Evanoff, Josh (May 17, 2020). "UFC on ESPN 8 Results: Alistair Overeem Survives, Finishes Walt Harris". Cageside Press. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  53. "Alexander Volkov vs. Walt Harris slated for UFC 243 co-main event". Read MMA. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  54. Doherty, Dan (October 24, 2020). "UFC 254 Results: Alexander Volkov Stops Walt Harris With Body Kick". Cageside Press. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  55. "Walt Harris Political Profile". Bama Politics. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  56. "2020 Homewood, AL City Council District 3 - Place 1 Election". Bama Politics. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  57. Walt Harris UFC Profile. UFC.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2014
  58. "Police: Evidence indicates foul play in case of Walt Harris' missing stepdaughter". mmajunkie.com. October 31, 2019.
  59. Damon Martin (October 31, 2019). "Dana White, Jon Jones and Governor of Alabama offer reward for information to help find Walt Harris' missing stepdaughter". mmafighting.com.
  60. "What we know about the case of UFC fighter Walt Harris' missing stepdaughter". mmajunkie.com. November 12, 2019.
  61. Kirsten Fiscus (November 8, 2019). "Ibraheem Yazeed, wanted in disappearance of Walt Harris' stepdaughter, arrested in Florida". mmajunkie.com.
  62. Damon Martin (November 20, 2019). "Suspect charged with kidnapping Walt Harris' stepdaughter denied bond, ordered to submit to DNA testing". mmafighting.com.
  63. "Remains found believed to be UFC fighters' stepdaughter". cbs42.com. November 25, 2019.
  64. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/27/us/aniah-blanchard-remains-identified/index.html
  65. Kirsten Fiscus (November 25, 2019). "'Strong reason to believe' Aniah Blanchard's body found, DA says". mmajunkie.com.
  66. Kirsten Fiscus (November 25, 2019). "Third suspect arrested in connection with Aniah Blanchard's disappearance". mmajunkie.com.
  67. Kirsten Fiscus (December 18, 2019). "Case dropped against Antwain Fisher in Aniah Blanchard's kidnapping". mmajunkie.com.
  68. Damon Martin (December 2, 2019). "Walt Harris' stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard killed by gunshot, prosecutors seeking death penalty". mmafighting.com.
  69. Sherdog.com. "Walt". Sherdog. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
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