Walt Harris Suspended Four Months, Win over Andrei Arlovski Overturned After Positive Test

After failing a post-fight drug test, Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Walt Harris has been issued a four-month suspension dating back to December, and his win over Andrei Arlovski has been overturned to a no-contest.

First reported by MMAFighting.com late Thursday, the suspension levied by the California State Athletic Commission on Harris will last four months retroactive to his appearance at UFC 232 on Dec. 29. Additionally, his split decision win over Arlovski at that event has been overturned to a no-contest. According to U.S. Anti-Doping Agency policy, however, Harris could potentially face sanctions through USADA despite the test running through CSAC. Barring any USADA action, Harris will be eligible to return to active competition in April.

The news prior to this announcement was such that Harris tested positive for a SARM, or selective androgen receptor module, called LGD4033, following his fight with Arlovski. Harris claimed that a contaminated substance led to the test. Now that the adjudication process has finished, CSAC determined it was indeed a tainted supplement that caused the failure, and that Harris was not intentionally doping. Thus, his potentially longer suspension was shortened to four months given this information.

Harris has had a tumultuous career inside the Octagon to date, initially making his UFC debut back at The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 Finale in 2013. Harris dropped back-to-back bouts to Jared Rosholt and Nikita Krylov before getting released, but rebounded with a win over D.J. Linderman in Titan Fighting Championships to get re-signed with the UFC later that year. Since then, Harris has amassed a record of 4-4 and now has a no-contest, and before this last bout was overturned he was riding a two-fight win streak, tied for the longest in his UFC career.