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The UFC heavyweight suffered the loss of his stepdaughter in late 2019.
According to MMA Junkie, UFC heavyweight Walt Harris (13-7) is planning to return to the Octagon this April. That information comes from Harris’ manager; Jason House of Iridium Sports. However no specific date or opponent was mentioned for Harris’ potential comeback fight.
In October Harris withdrew from a headline booking versus Alistair Overeem. This was because his 19-year-old stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, had been reported missing in Auburn, AL.
Harris and his family advocated for Blanchard’s return and helped raise over $100,000 in reward money for information. Blanchard’s remains were discovered in Macon County, AL on November 25th, 2019. Ibraheem Yazeed has been charged with capital murder in connection to Blanchard’s death and disappearance.
Days after Blanchard was declared deceased Harris posted an emotional tribute to Blanchard online. “I love you so much. Look after us like you always did. We need you now more than ever. My lil mighty mighty tiger is a angel now,” wrote Harris.
Prior to this family tragedy Harris was on a four fight undefeated run. That launched the 36-year-old to the 9th spot in the UFC heavyweight rankings. His undefeated run included a KO victory over Aleksei Oleinik, a TKO win over Sergey Spivak, a no contest versus Andrei Arolovski (originally a split decision win for Harris, which was overturned after Harris tested postive for a banned substance) and a TKO win over Daniel Spitz.
Harris has been fighting for the UFC since 2013. Since then he has amassed a 6-6 1 NC record inside the promotion.