It has been quite a journey for UFC heavyweight contender Walt “The Big Ticket” Harris, 13W 8L, to finally make his way back inside octagon. In 2019 Harris was a surging competitor in the heavyweight division scoring two performance bonuses by finishing Sergey Spivak and knocking out Aleksei Oleiniek. Harris was on the road to the top of the division; however after the tragic loss of his daughter, Aniah Blanchard, his focus and responsibilities were derailed. The details of that loss are sensitive; available to view at your own disclosure. This story is about Walt Harris the martial artist, who got back on his feet to fight after a different kind of loss. According to Harris, what helped him get back on track was a dream he had about his daughter and how she told him she was okay. By mid-January 2020, Harris was back in the gym training, and soon after it was announce he’s scheduled to fight against Alistair Overeem for a 5 round main event. In the midst of what Harris was going through with his family, he stayed dedicated to training and moved forward with his MMA career. On May 16, 2020, Walt “The Big Ticket” Harris stepped inside the octagon to face Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem, at UFC Fight Night Jacksonville. In the opening round Harris dropped Overeem with a nasty punch combination, then started to land some ground and pound. Harris was raining down heavy bombs that were landing flush on Overeem which busted him open and had him leaking blood all over the canvas. The referee came very close to stopping this fight; Overeem survived the barrage of punches and eventually was able to go for an ankle which improved his position. The experienced Overeem stayed very calm and composed throughout the entire onslaught; eventually got back to his feet. The round would end with Overeem having a busted up face, and Harris dropping a lung inside the octagon. Round 2 things went a different direction, Harris came out looking fresh and began to push the pace while Overeem stayed composed, didn’t waste any shots and waited for that perfect opportunity to land a signature head kick. Harris fell to the mat as Overeem followed with his own onslaught of punches. Harris was forced to give up his back while Overeem postured up and began to land some bombs from the rear mounted position. Harris could not move nor defend, and had no answers for The Demolition Man. Referee Dan Miragliotta had no choice but to step in and stop the fight due to all the unanswered punches. When the fight ended, Overeem immediately went over to show his respect to Harris. It was tough to watch Harris lose for everyone, given his circumstances, but we got to see how dangerous he really is, and against a man who is a legend of the sport. The experience gained from fighting a guy in Overeem is priceless and unmatched. Harris will be back better than ever with new lessons learned, and I pray for that man that has to step inside the octagon with him.
MMA Frequency 