Walt Harris, a seasoned veteran with 16 fights in the UFC’s heavyweight division, has been handed a significant blow to his career with a four-year suspension from mixed martial arts competition. This verdict comes after he was found to have breached the organization’s stringent anti-doping policy.
Last July, the 40-year-old Harris was slated to face Josh Parisian in a UFC event. However, the bout was abruptly scrapped by the promotion’s former drug-testing partner, USADA. This suspension marks the first instance under the Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) since it took over the UFC’s drug-testing procedures at the onset of 2024.
According to CSAD, Harris tested positive for multiple banned substances across three separate tests conducted between June 24 and August 6 of the preceding year. Among these substances were drostanolone, anastrozole, and exogenous testosterone.
“Drostanolone and testosterone are anabolic steroids and are strictly prohibited under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP) and UFC Prohibited List,” stated CSAD in a release on Wednesday.
Consequently, Harris will serve a four-year suspension, retroactively applied from the initial notification of the test results. This renders the heavyweight fighter ineligible for competition until July 2027, having last fought in June 2021.
Prior to the canceled bout with Parisian, Harris had endured a string of three consecutive losses in the UFC against Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov, and Alistair Overeem.
Harris’ career statistics reflect a mixed bag, with a record of 13 wins, 10 losses, and one draw. Within the UFC, his record stands at 6 wins, 9 losses, and one draw.
Notably, Harris had previously faced suspension after failing a drug test subsequent to a split decision victory over Andrei Arlovski in December 2018. Although the result was overturned to a no contest, Harris served a mere four-month suspension after demonstrating that the failed test stemmed from tainted supplement consumption.
