Walt Harris (born June 10, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
[3] He made his professional debut on March 15, 2011, when he faced Justin Thornton at HEF: Hess Extreme Fighting.
On September 19, 2013, it was announced that Harris had signed with the UFC, and he faced fellow newcomer Jared Rosholt at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale on November 30, 2013.
[6] In his second fight with the promotion, Harris faced Nikita Krylov at UFC on Fox 10 on January 25, 2014.
[24] Harris was expected to face Mark Godbeer on October 7, 2017, at UFC 216[25] before a fight-day injury to Derrick Lewis took him out of his scheduled fight with Fabrício Werdum.
[33] It was reported on January 26, 2019, that Harris tested positive for LGD4033, and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) like ostarine, and he was temporarily suspended by California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).
Per the CSAC, Harris was able to prove the positive test resulted from a tainted supplement and the commission does not believe he was an intentional doper, hence the shorter suspension.
[36] However, on April 3, 2019, it was announced that Oleinik would face Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight Night 149 after Alexander Volkov withdrew from the event.
[56] After a 2 year layoff, Harris was scheduled to face Josh Parisian on July 15, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 49.
[59] Harris ran for a city council seat in Homewood, Alabama, in 2020 but finished 3rd in the race with 24 percent of the vote.
Soon after, Auburn police revealed that after finding evidence from Blanchard's vehicle, they suspected foul play regarding the disappearance.
[63] Subsequently, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey set up a reward of $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator, which was matched by an anonymous donor.
On November 8, 2019, Yazeed was captured as an out-of-state fugitive in Escambia County, Florida, and was extradited to Auburn.
[66] On November 20, 2019, Yazeed was charged with first-degree kidnapping in an Alabama court, and remains in jail without bond.
[67] On November 25, 2019, an Alabama district attorney announced that they had found the remains of a girl they believe to be Aniah Blanchard in neighboring Macon County.
[69][65] In late November 2019, two additional suspects, Antwain Fisher and David Lee Johnson Jr., were arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping and hindering prosecution, respectively.
[73] In late 2022, Yazeed was indicted with three counts of capital murder and could face death penalty or life sentence without parole for each, should he be convicted.