Following family tragedy, Walt Harris targets UFC return in April

UFC heavyweight Walt Harris is looking to book his next fight less than five months after the tragic death of his stepdaughter.

UFC heavyweight [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] is looking to make his octagon comeback in April.

Harris (13-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC) was supposed to fight Alistair Overeem in December’s UFC on ESPN 7 headliner before he pulled out of the fight to focus on the disappearance of his stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard.

Blanchard was reported missing on Oct. 23 after last being seen in Auburn, Ala. More than a month later, Blanchard’s body was discovered in nearby Macon County. Ibraheem Yazeed has been charged with capital murder in the ongoing case.

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It was unknown how long the tragic situation would put Harris’ fighting career on pause, but the 13-fight UFC veteran is ready to get back to work sooner than later.

Saturday, MMA Junkie confirmed with Harris’ manager, Jason House of Iridium Sports, that the heavyweight has targeted an April comeback, although a specific date and opponent have not been locked in.

Harris, 36, is riding a two-fight winning streak, with first-round knockouts of Serghei Spivak and Aleksei Oleinik coming in a combined 62 seconds.

“The Big Ticket” recently posted a photo of him on social media back in the training room (via Instagram):

View this post on Instagram

Together we stand! đź’™

A post shared by Walt Harris (@thebigticket205) on

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