Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight hitters Walt Harris and Daniel Spitz battled last night (June 1, 2018) at UFC Fight Night 131 from inside Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York.
Harris is a full-sized and athletic Heavyweight, which makes his inconsistency a bit frustrated. “The Big Ticket” was once released by UFC, and his second run has been an improvement, but Harris entered this fight on a two-fight losing streak of odd circumstances.
Meanwhile, Spitz was a very new face in a division of old mugs. The 27-year-old seemed to have a decent mix of skills and toughness, enough to make him a prospect worth-watching in the UFC’s largest division.
Spitz bounced around the cage like on over-sized Bantamweight to open the fight, flicking out the occasional low kick. Harris stalked patiently, looking to blast the body and legs with left kicks from the Southpaw stance. Little action occurred in the first half of the round, but Harris connected with some hard jabs at the midway point, stunning his foe.
Afterward, sadly, the fight slowed back down. Harris pressured and kicked, landing mostly to the lead leg, while Spitz did little but flick the occasional kick up the middle.
It was an uneventful but clear round for “The Big Ticket.”
Spitz was a bit more active with his kicks to start the second, leading to a flurry and big knee from Harris. For the most part, little changed from the opening frame, as Harris followed his foe around the cage and attacked with single shots. He landed little, but Spitz did even less.
In the final 15 seconds, Harris finally connected on the left overhand he’d been looking for. Spitz showed a respectable chin to not fall down immediately, but Harris followed up with more heavy blows that sent him to the mat. Before the time ran out, Harris managed to force a stoppage with a series of heavy elbows.
This was a very methodical showing for Harris. It may have been boring for much of the fight, but Harris never really deviated from the game plan of slowly closing range and breaking Spitz down with left kicks. Eventually, his counter left hand found a home, and that’s all it took.
Harris took few shots and landed a nasty knockout, so who can criticize? Spitz is an unusually rangy fighter with an odd style, so credit to Harris for slowing him down then dropping the hammer.
Harris is back in the win column and will probably receive a top 15 foe next.
As for Spitz, it’s clear that he’s very much a fighter in development. On one hand, he moved well and showed good range offense in the form of low and snap kicks. At the same time, he moved a lot more than he struck, which is simply a waste of energy if it never amounts to anything.
The potential is there for Spitz to develop into a very good fighter, but that day is still a ways off.
Last night, Walt Harris returned to the win column with a knockout victory. What’s next for ‘The Big Ticket?’
For complete UFC Fight Night 131 “Rivera vs. Moraes” results and play-by-play, click HERE!