Overeem thwarts Harris’ dream fight
American was hoping to dedicate his win to late stepdaughter
When American Walt Harris entered the Octagon to face heavyweight opponent Alistair Overeem, he had one thing on his mind — to win the fight for his late stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard, who was murdered last November.
But it was not to be. Harris had triumphed over adversity and pain since the family tragedy, and try as he did to put away his 40-yearold Dutch opponent early in the fight, he was struck down with a head kick in round two and subjected to some heavy ground-and-pound before referee Dan Miragliotta eventually put an end to the fight.
In an emotional scene, something rarely seen in the Octagon, Overeem knelt down on the mat, put his arms around Harris and told him they should train together in the future.
Harris thanked everyone who supported him and his family throughout the tragedy and said: “I’ll be back better, I promise you. You ain’t seen the last of ‘The Big Ticket’.
“I’m going to go home, recover, I’m going to heal emotionally and physically and I promise you I’ll be better.”
Meanwhile, Overeem, a veteran of 65 fights showed why he is still relevant in the heavyweight division, despite his age.
He used all his experience and skills to ward off an opening-round barrage from Harris before storming back with a thundering head kick that rocked the American.
It was the beginning of the end as Harris was not himself in the second round and easily succumbed to Overeem’s calculated strikes and aggressiveness.
“You just stay focused,” Overeem said afterwards. “Pandemic or no pandemic. It’s been a long ride but somehow I keep finding the focus.”