Preview: UFC Fight Night 131 'Rivera vs. Moraes'

Heavyweights
Walt Harris (10-7) vs. Daniel Spitz (6-1)
Odds: Harris (-300), Spitz (+250)

Harris last saw action in a quick two-fight series in October and November. He was supposed to fight Mark Godbeer at UFC 216, but when Derrick Lewis pulled out of his fight with Fabricio Werdum on fight day, Harris was moved up to face the Brazilian. He lost via first-round armbar. A month later at UFC 217, Harris got his bout with Godbeer. He lost via disqualification in a fight he was largely dominating when he head-kicked Godbeer after the ref called time for a low blow. The Alabama native will look to right the ship at Spitz’s expense.

“The Big Ticket” is athletic and powerful, even by heavyweight standards. The southpaw smashes with a crushing left hand and body kick. He doesn’t mind throwing down in the pocket, either, where his hand speed and power tend to tell. But when leading, he often doesn’t throw in combination and lapses into inactivity, probably to help conserve his gas tank. Takedown defense has been an issue in the past as well, and while he has shored up his wrestling, Harris offers very little from his back. If the American Top Team rep can quickly explode up, he’s OK, but if stuck on the canvas, he quickly tires and usually gets pounded out.

Spitz is not the man to test that part of his game, though, as he has yet to develop much in the way of wrestling. The Sikjitsu product is a former collegiate football player at Washington State, but he does not look like an exceptional athlete. Spitz is 27, has no combat sports background and been a pro for less than three years, so there is plenty of time left for him to develop in the moribund heavyweight division. That is, if he doesn’t get ground to dust prematurely fighting at the highest level. A lanky 6-foot-7, “Daddy Long Legs” is still learning to use his reach. While he fires straight punches and leg kicks, he isn’t particularly fast and his head is painfully stationary. Fortunately, he is extremely tough. Godbeer boxed him up for three rounds but Spitz never appeared compromised. His gas tank did fail him, though. While he took that fight on short notice, he was in the locker room waiting to walk out for a regional fight when he got the call; he should have been in shape.

The Washington native is coming off the biggest win of his career, knocking out a charging Anthony Hamilton with a dipping overhand in under 30 seconds. But barring another “this is heavyweight, anything can happen” situation, there is no clear path forward for Spitz. Hamilton is faster, hits much harder, and is more skilled everywhere. He takes Spitz out in the second.

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