The lone heavyweight bout scheduled for UFC on ESPN 49 is no longer happening.
On Wednesday, Walt Harris vs. Josh Parisian was removed from Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting. The person asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Shortly after news surfaced of his bout’s removal, Harris (13-10 MMA, 6-9 UFC) revealed on Instagram a USADA-related issue caused the cancellation.
“I believe this came from a supplement that I’ve trusted my entire career, but at the end of the day it was never USADA approved. I’m a complete idiot for not checking prior, but I’m definitely not a cheater. I sincerely want to apologize to my opponent Josh Parisian.”
See Harris’ full statement below.
The bout was expected to be the first for Harris since June 2021. He aimed to snap a three-fight skid, which included defeats to Alistair Overeem, Alexander Volkov, and Marcin Tybura.
Parisian (15-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has alternated losses and wins since his UFC debut in November 2020. He most recently competed in February when he lost a unanimous decision to Jamal Pogues.
With the removal, the UFC on ESPN 49 lineup now includes:
- Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Albert Duraev vs. Junyong Park
- Chelsea Chandler vs. Norma Dumont
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Francisco Prado
- Terrance McKinney vs. Nazim Sadykhov
- Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Tucker Lutz
- Viktoriya Dudakova vs. Istela Nunes
- Melquizael Costa vs. Austin Lingo
- Bassil Hafez vs. Jack Della Maddalena
- Evan Elder vs. Genaro Valdez
- Azat Maksum vs. Tyson Nam
- Carl Deaton vs. Alexander Munoz
- Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Ailin Perez
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 49.
