The Film Room: Walt Harris vs. Daniel Spitz
In the sole heavyweight bout of the night,
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Walt Harris
takes on young contender Daniel
Spitz at
UFC Fight Night 131 this Friday in Utica, New York. Harris has
spent most of his career inside the UFC, but has underwhelmed most
with his 3-6 record. Spitz on the other hand just signed with the
UFC last year and after dropping his debut against Mark
Godbeer, got his first TKO victory over Anthony
Hamilton last September.
Harris is a man of many nicknames, but most know him as “The Big Ticket.” No not Kevin Garnett, but Harris did get his athletic start playing basketball for Jacksonville State University before transitioning to mixed martial arts. In fact, Harris had no marital arts experience until 2010, and just three years later he was fighting in the UFC.
Harris is unfortunately remembered for this illegal kick against Mark Godbeer, which earned him a DQ loss last November. Despite the kick being illegal, this is a good lesson as to why you never turn your back on your opponent until the ref steps in.
Despite his lackluster record and controversial DQs, Harris has some of the most powerful strikes in the division that allows him to score highlight KO’s like above. Harris is not known for his countering skills, but against Cody East, he was able to land a counter left under East’s right hand to finish the fight.
Harris might be best known for derailing the hype train of the Chase Sherman. Notice how Harris grabs the clinch while taking an angle after the right hook before landing the knee and left hand that drops Sherman.
With the heavyweight division as bleak as ever, any sign of a new contender is exciting, even if it is a guy who’s 1-1 in the UFC. In nearly every division it takes time to work your way up the ranks before being taken seriously as a danger to others. With the heavyweights it’s a completely different story. With a lack of contenders under 40, all it takes is a few good wins before being thrown into main events with the top 5 of the division. After watching Spitz, you might think this guy will never have what it takes to beat the likes of Stipe Miocic or Frances Ngannou, but at only 27 years of age, he has plenty of time to develop into a legit contender.
Spitz earned his first UFC victory in under 30 seconds with only four punches. Hamilton looked for the right straight but Spitz ducks under, threw him to the mat and landed perfectly placed punches behind the ear, forcing the ref to jump in.
Outside of the UFC, Spitz showed to be aggressive on the feet and on the ground. His first three wins were by submission, and five of his six wins are finishes. Spitz favors the clinch and is always looking to back his opponent to the cage before throwing a barrage of knees and wild hooks. This might not be the best strategy as he gets countered at the end, but it has worked for him thus far.
Despite his favoritism for the clinch, Spitz does some of his best work when striking at distance with his long reach. Here he triples up on the jab before landing the right straight and immediately looks for the clinch as his opponent closes the distance.
The Big Ticket
Harris is a man of many nicknames, but most know him as “The Big Ticket.” No not Kevin Garnett, but Harris did get his athletic start playing basketball for Jacksonville State University before transitioning to mixed martial arts. In fact, Harris had no marital arts experience until 2010, and just three years later he was fighting in the UFC.
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Harris is unfortunately remembered for this illegal kick against Mark Godbeer, which earned him a DQ loss last November. Despite the kick being illegal, this is a good lesson as to why you never turn your back on your opponent until the ref steps in.
Despite his lackluster record and controversial DQs, Harris has some of the most powerful strikes in the division that allows him to score highlight KO’s like above. Harris is not known for his countering skills, but against Cody East, he was able to land a counter left under East’s right hand to finish the fight.
Harris might be best known for derailing the hype train of the Chase Sherman. Notice how Harris grabs the clinch while taking an angle after the right hook before landing the knee and left hand that drops Sherman.
A New Contender?
With the heavyweight division as bleak as ever, any sign of a new contender is exciting, even if it is a guy who’s 1-1 in the UFC. In nearly every division it takes time to work your way up the ranks before being taken seriously as a danger to others. With the heavyweights it’s a completely different story. With a lack of contenders under 40, all it takes is a few good wins before being thrown into main events with the top 5 of the division. After watching Spitz, you might think this guy will never have what it takes to beat the likes of Stipe Miocic or Frances Ngannou, but at only 27 years of age, he has plenty of time to develop into a legit contender.
Spitz earned his first UFC victory in under 30 seconds with only four punches. Hamilton looked for the right straight but Spitz ducks under, threw him to the mat and landed perfectly placed punches behind the ear, forcing the ref to jump in.
Outside of the UFC, Spitz showed to be aggressive on the feet and on the ground. His first three wins were by submission, and five of his six wins are finishes. Spitz favors the clinch and is always looking to back his opponent to the cage before throwing a barrage of knees and wild hooks. This might not be the best strategy as he gets countered at the end, but it has worked for him thus far.
Despite his favoritism for the clinch, Spitz does some of his best work when striking at distance with his long reach. Here he triples up on the jab before landing the right straight and immediately looks for the clinch as his opponent closes the distance.
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