OTTAWA – UFC heavyweight Walt Harris plans to go after the people he believes caused a failed drug test.
Harris (11-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) told MMA Junkie on Wednesday he plans to take legal action against the maker and distributor of a supplement later found to be tainted with the anabolic agent LGD-4033, which caused his win over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski to be overturned.
“The thing that I’m more upset about is my reputation,” he told MMA Junkie in advance of a fight against Sergey Spivak (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 9, which takes place Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre. “I pride myself on being a clean fighter, fighting fair, and a martial artist. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth that I had to deal with that situation.”
Harris’ manager Jason House of Iridium Sports told MMA Junkie nothing has been filed and questions of jurisdiction remain before any suit moves forward.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency gave Harris a reduced four-month sentence for providing samples of the dietary supplement he was using at the time of his positive. He originally faced a two-year term for his first offense under the UFC’s anti-doping program.
Harris spoke glowingly about the treatment he received from USADA and the UFC. He said UFC VP of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky walked him through protocols of documenting his supplement use. He said the promotion and USADA gave him due process throughout the case.
Yet there are damages Harris believes haven’t been recovered, and that’s why he’s pursuing a case against the companies that made the product, which he didn’t name.
“I feel like my name is worth it,” he said.
Harris is trying to focus on positives heading into his octagon return, which takes place against Sergey Spivak on the main card of Saturday’s event.
With ex-champ Brock Lesnar allegedly out of the picture and champ Daniel Cormier set to rematch former titleholder Stipe Miocic, Harris believes the time is right for a run at the belt.
Although Harris empathizes with Cormier not getting a “cash out” fight, he said the Miocic matchup still works.
“It’s a good thing that that fight is happening, because now, the logjam is released, and guys can move to where they need to be going and the company feels they need to be going,” he said. “We can start shaking things down and start seeing a real heavyweight division. Good fights can be coming down the pike soon.”
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