Walt Harris
Age: 34
Nationality: American
MMA Record: 10-7
UFC Record: 3-6
Notable Wins: Chase Sherman, Anthony Hamilton
Notable Losses: Fabricio Werdum, Soa Palelei, Shamil Abdurakhimov
Last Fight: DQ loss to Mark Godbeer
Fighter Profile: One of the more athletically gifted heavyweights on he UFC roster, Harris has just never been able to put it all together in the UFC. Over two stints in the UFC he has a losing record at 3-6 although he has had more success in his second stint going 3-4 with three knockout wins. He’s a big heavyweight with a lot of knockout power but he has a weak ground game, his chin isn’t great, and he doesn’t have a high fight IQ. His natural gifts will only take him so far far in this sport and his time in the UFC may be up soon, and this fight against Daniel Spitz may be make-or-brea for “The Big Ticket” in the UFC.
Daniel Spitz
Age: 27
Nationality: American
MMA Record: 6-1
UFC Record: 1-1
Notable Wins: Anthony Hamilton
Notable Losses: Mark Godbeer
Last Fight: KO win over Anthony Hamilton
Fighter Profile: A member of Sikjitsu, Spitz has had a less-than-memorable beginning to his UFC career. In his first fight in the Octagon he lost a lopsided decision to Mark Godbeer in a fight where he was just picked apart and did nothing to speak of offensively. The jitters looked not to be there in his second fight against Anthony Hamilton, which resulted in a KO win, but it remains to be seen how he’ll perform as he faces better competition. He’s a big heavyweight with some power and surprising submission prowess, but Spitz still has much to prove at the highest level of the sport.
Fight Breakdown: This is a pretty low-level bout in the UFC heavyweight division, and I expect the loser of the bout to be cut. Both guys have some offensive talent but both guys are very much flawed defensively. Both guys have shown poor fight IQ in the past as well making it hard to trust either one with a bet. I personally wouldn’t touch this fight. I will pick Harris to get the win though, just beacuse I’m more convinced of his ability to finish fights at the UFC level. But I would never be confident laying this kind of juice on a guy like Harris. The pick is Hamilton to get a first-round KO, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Spitz get the upset.
Prediction: Walt Harris via KO
