Photo by Erin Nelson.
Walt Harris, a Homewood native and UFC fighter, trains with a kick bag during a round of training at Spartan Fitness on Green Springs Highway.
Homewood native and mixed martial artist Walt Harris, like most professional fighters, has a big dream — to win a world title.
“If you win that belt, I think that says right there you're the best in the world, you’re the baddest man on the planet, so that’s always the goal,” said Harris, a heavyweight who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Harris, who stands 6 feet, five inches tall and weighs 255 pounds, seems to be moving up the ranks in this brutal sport.
His record is 13-7, but his wins are all by knockout.
On July 20 in San Antonio, Texas, Harris notched one of his biggest and most commanding victories, knocking out Alexey “The Boa Constrictor” Oleynik — the No. 9 UFC heavyweight — after only 12 seconds in the first round.
The following week, Harris jumped from No. 14 to No. 11 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.
And Harris — we talked to him a few weeks prior to the Oleynik fight during his workout at Spartan Fitness, where he trains with UFC middleweight Eryk Anders — thinks he’s the best UFC heavyweight.
“I’m the most athletic,” he said. “I’m the fastest.”
And though Harris has fought in the UFC for six years, “a lot of guys haven’t fully gauged what I do,” he said.
“I move well, I hit hard and I can actually box,” he said.
Harris grew up in West Homewood and graduated from Homewood High School in 2001. He played basketball and earned a degree in physical education at Jacksonville State.
He took up MMA in 2008 to stay in shape after the end of his basketball career. He also went 23-1 and earned championships in Golden Gloves boxing in Alabama and Georgia in 2009 and 2010
After his professional MMA debut in 2011, he compiled a record of 6–1 before signing with the UFC in fall 2013.
Harris lives in Homewood with his wife, Angela Harris. They have four children — two boys and two girls, ranging in age from 6 to 20.
In December, Harris believed he had earned a major victory when he beat former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski — one of his long-time heroes — via a split decision in Inglewood, Calif., but he hit a speed bump.
The victory was overturned and ruled a no contest when Harris tested positive for the banned anabolic agent LGD-4033 in a routine drug test.
However, Harris cooperated with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and the organization determined that Harris had unknowingly taken a tainted legal supplement, and he served only a four-month suspension.
And Harris said competing so well against Arlovski, who’s called “The Pitbull,” was still a “huge” moment for him.
“I beat him,” Harris said. “I’ve always been confident, but that was like a mental test and a physical test, and I passed it, so I feel like the sky’s the limit definitely now.”
In May in Ottawa, Canada, Harris knocked out the overmatched Sergey Spivak, a first-time UFC competitor, in only 50 seconds.
“I think that’s the fastest win of my career, or second fastest,” Harris said.
And Harris was getting excited about his July 20 match with Oleynik.
“It’s a great fight for me,” he said. “I’m a striker. He’s a grappler. I feel like my movement is going to cause a lot of problems for him.”
Harris and Oleynik trained together for three years, which Harris believed gave him an edge over the Ukrainian.
“He’s taught me all his tricks, and I feel like I’m still evolving,” Harris said. “I feel he’s hit his peak.”
As it turned out, Harris certainly had everything reason to be confident.
When he dispatched Oleynik so quickly, it became the third-fastest decision in UFC history, according to The Athletic.
The win over Oleynik also kept his career goals on track, according to Harris.
“That’s a goal I set for myself, to get to the Top 10, close to the Top 5, by the end of 2019,” he said.
As far as the title shot, “I’m hoping to be in that picture by 2020,” he said.
And mmamania.com seems to support his optimism.
“With the 265-pound division being wide open, Harris can find himself in big matchups moving forward,” said reporter Adam Guillen Jr.
