Walt Harris will feel hard done by not to have received a Performance of the Night bonus for his stunning win at UFC Phoenix.
With just one win in five trips to the Octagon prior to the bout, Harris knew he needed a an impressive showing against Chase Sherman in order to spare himself from another pink slip. In order to make sure he did absolutely everything he could to win, he did one very simple thing that worked massively in his favour – he listened to his team.
“The Big Ticket” was the perfect vessel for his corner throughout the heavyweight as he responded to just about everything his team shouted at him. After just edging the opening round on the feet, it was one particularly chilling shout from his corner that sparked the ferocious finish.
“Don’t let him breathe, Walt. Don’t let him breathe.”
And that’s exactly what Harris did, he did not let him breathe.
As soon as he heard this call, he took the wind right out of his opponent’s sails with an early contender for most devastating combination of the year. He stunned him with a right hook before grabbing him by the neck, cracking him in the dome with a knee and putting him down with a forceful straight left. He followed this up with a hammerfist on the ground before the referee stepped in to award him the knockout victory at the 2:41 mark of the second stanza.
Right hook + Knee + Straight left = FINISH HIM!!! @TheBigTicket205 w/ a HUGE KO!!! What a start to #UFCPhoenix pic.twitter.com/GtW5RiGw1A
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2017
He is now 2-2 in his second stint in the UFC while Sherman may very well be facing a cut after suffering his second loss in as many appearances in the world’s largest MMA promotion.
