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In October 2019, UFC heavyweight Walt Harris' step-daughter Aniah Blanchard went missing. She was later confirmed to have been murdered by Ibraheem Yazeed, who was charged with capital murder. Blanchard was only 19 years old at the time and was a student in Alabama.
After grieving for about six months, Blanchard's mother is said to have encouraged the UFC fighter to return to the octagon. 'The Big Ticket' fought Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris on May 16, 2020. Unfortunately for Harris, the bout didn't go his way, with UFC veteran Overeem winning in round two.
Watch Harris' post-fight interview here:
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An emotional Walt Harris spoke to Paul Felder after his bout with Overeem. 'The Big Ticket' thanked the UFC, Dana White, and his coaches for supporting him and his family during what was an incredibly tough time. He also told his fans to expect big things in his future bouts after taking some time to recover:
"I'm going to heal emotionally and physically and I'll promise you, I'll be better."
In the most recent update on the murder case, Ibraheem Yazeed could be facing the death penalty after prosecutors reportedly started seeking the punishment last week.
Since returning to professional MMA, Harris has struggled in the UFC, losing all three of his bouts. However, the challengers were all high-level opponents – Alistair Overeem, Alexander Volkov and Marcin Tybura.
What is Walt Harris' UFC record?
'The Big Ticket' is currently on a three-fight losing streak in the UFC. However, since joining the organization in 2013, Walt Harris has consistently fought tough opponents and has amassed a UFC record of six wins, nine losses and one no-contest.
Harris has beaten quality fighters such as Sergey Spivak and Aleksei Oleinik, and also has victories over Cody East, Chase Sherman, Cyril Asker and Daniel Spitz. The one no-contest came against former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
Harris initially beat 'The Pitbull' via split decision. However, 'The Big Ticket' later failed a drugs test, meaning the result of the fight was overturned.
