Walt Harris issues statement after suffering a DQ loss at UFC 217

UFC heavyweight Walt Harris has issued a statement after suffering a DQ loss to Mark Godbeer at last night’s UFC 217 event in New York.

Harris hit Godbeer with a head kick late in the round as the referee was attempting to call a timeout due to a groin strike (watch that here).

The fight was then called off and Godbeer was announced as the bouts winner due to disqualification (illegal head kick).

Earleir today, “The Big Ticket” Walt Harris took to his official Facebook page where he issued the following statement insisting that he is not a “dirty fighter” and was just trying to do his job.

“Last night was a weird night to say the least… I honestly didn’t hear or see the ref until the kick was gone… It’s my job to finish the fight and that’s what I was trying to do! Getting disqualified bothers me more than anything right now because I pride myself on being a true martial artist and not a “dirty fighter.” I felt like a no contest would’ve be the right move in that situation. My sincere apologies to everyone for the outcome. We keep growing and pushing forward. Thank you all for your support! Love y’all!” – Walt Harris

Would you like to see a rematch between Mark Godbeer and Walt Harris booked for a future UFC event? Sound off PENN Nation!

Get the full Walt Harris vs. Mark Godbeer fight recap below:

Round one begins and Harris and Godbeer both miss with early head kick attempts. Harris comes forward with a left hook that partially connects. Mark responds with a body kick. Walt Harris is throwing bombs now. He opts to shoot in and takes the fight to the floor. He immediately moves to mount and lands a huge shot. Godbeer scrambles and gets back to half guard and then full guard. Harris continues to work and lands a nice left hand. Another good left hand from “The Big Ticket”. He switches to elbows and then moves Godbeer against the fence. Harris is landing some hard shots from this position. Under two minutes remain in the opening round now. Harris lands another huge left elbow. Godbeer is attempting to scramble and finally gets back up to his feet. He leaps in with a right hook that misses. Walt connects with a nice counter left. He throws a knee that may have landed low. The referee attempts to step in and but Harris lands a head kick before he does. The doctors are called in to take a look. The fight is being called off.