Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Walt Harris will return to the cage in July.
Harris (13-10, 1NC) will face Josh Parisien (15-6) at a UFC Fight Night event on July 15, 2023. No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been announced for the card.
Cageside Press confirmed the booking with multiple sources familiar with the situation after an initial report from Eurosport Tuesday.
Harris has not been seen in action since June 2021, when he lost “The Big Ticket” via TKO against Marcin Tybura. It’s been a little over two years for Harris between fights, though he’s been busy in the gym lately, and was part of Jon Jones’ training camp for his heavyweight debut in March.
As it is now known, Harris lost his stepdaughter Anyah Blanchard in 2019, after she was kidnapped and murdered by professional criminal Ibrahim Yazid, who was out on bail at the time of the murder. The tragedy led to Alabama’s Anyah law, which allows judges in the state to deny bail for serious but non-death offenses including rape, human trafficking, robbery, kidnapping, child abuse and assault, among other crimes.
The Parisian traded the gains and losses since entering the UFC via Dana White Rivalry Series He is 2-3 in promotion so far.