Walt Harris will not be headlining UFC on ESPN 7 against Alistair Overeem.
After the much publicized news surrounding the disappearance of his stepdaughter, Harris (13-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC) has opted to withdraw from his scheduled heavyweight main event against Overeem (45-17 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in December.
Multiple people close to the situation informed MMA Junkie of Harris’ decision. The people wished to remain anonymous because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington. The card is expected to air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.
Following the disappearance of his 19-year-old stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, the sports community has rallied around Harris and his family. More than $100,000 has been donated toward the efforts to find Blanchard. On Thursday, police indicated “foul play” is at hand in the case.
The situation expectedly has taken away from Harris’ training camp for UFC on ESPN 7. A search for a replacement opponent against Overeem is underway.
Friday, Overeem issued a message of support for Harris over Instagram:
The latest UFC on EPN 7 lineup now includes:
- Alistair Overeem vs. opponent TBA
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Livinha Souza
- Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong
- Yana Kunitskaya vs. Aspen Ladd
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez
- Ben Rothwell vs. Stefan Struve
- Carlos Condit vs. Mickey Gall
- Chris Fishgold vs. Billy Quarantillo
- Cortney Casey vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Bryce Mitchell vs. Matt Sayles
- Joe Solecki vs. Matt Wiman
- Thiago Alves vs. Tim Means
- Rob Font vs. Ricky Simon
