Gerald Harris vs. James Head

Gerald Harris(17-3) will fight for the first time since being controversially released by the UFC.

The UFC’s known for developing the next stars of mixed martial arts, which is what makes Harris’ release so curious. Harris(ranked #34 MW) has all the makings of a future contender in the middleweight division. His back and forth 1st round TKO win against Mario Miranda illustrated just how talented and explosive Harris is. Couple that with his KO slam of Dave Branch, and one has to be scratching their heads as to why Harris was released after his first loss in eleven fights.

Dana White ignored fans’ requests to re-sign Harris, despite Twitter and UG petitions. Truth be told, Harris was released for a sole reason, and that was to send a message to all fighters who are put on a main card of a pay-per-view. Now, fighters know they are better off getting submitted or knocked out rather than survive to a decision loss, which was what Harris did. Harris was pummeled and nearly choked out by Brazilian phenom Maiquel Falcao, but somehow survived the onslaught and proceeded to make it through three rounds, despite a concussion. Afterward, Harris knew he failed the UFC’s attempt to elevate him as a future contender by placing him on the main card, but being cut seemed to be the farthest thing from Harris’ mind, considering he’d finished all three of his previous opponents before meeting Falcao.

Now, with Harris back on the independent scene he will look to to continue his promising career with a new legion of supporters gained from his UFC release, as he faces James Head(5-1) on February 25th.