The Doggy Bag

It’s crazy that they cut Gerald Harris to me. He had three “Knockout of the Night” bonuses and was a strong up-and-comer in a division that seems like it can use some fresh blood. The craziest thing to me is that if he had tapped in round one, or the frame didn't mysteriously end four seconds early, he would probably still be in the UFC. What kind of sense does that make?
-- Harris from Vancouver

Mike Whitman, news editor: I think there are two ways to look at this situation.

The first is that Gerald Harris is an exciting prospect who thrilled fans in his first three bouts inside the Octagon before falling victim to a choke that significantly drained his stamina for the rest of the bout. The second is that Harris, while explosive and strong as a bull, was a preliminary-card performer who beat up prelim-level competition before freezing under the bright lights of a pay-per-view broadcast.

I tend to favor the former attitude.

After all, this is the same guy who, after nearly slamming Dave Branch through the mat, ended up on SportsCenter's Top-10, a feat that only a select few in Harris' line of work have accomplished. Let's not forget that while the sport has made monstrous strides in the last five years toward reaching the mainstream, nobody would mistake the media’s coverage of MMA with its coverage of the NFL. As a promoter, if you've found a guy who is capable of doing a spot-on “Rampage” Quinton Jackson impression and forcibly inserting your brand into SportCenter's Top-10, it seems like it might be wise to keep that guy around for a while.

Truthfully, Harris should have put on a better fight against Falcao. But Falcao had an obligation in that fight as well. After hurting Harris and strangling him nearly unconscious, the Chute Boxe product had a duty to live up to his team's reputation by pressing the action and looking to finish that fight. The ensuing lack of action was just as much the Brazilian’s fault as it was the American’s.

Would Harris have avoided receiving his walking papers had the first round lasted as long as it should have? We’ll never know.

If champion Anderson Silva defeats Vitor Belfort in February, currently he's got two interesting fights left at middleweight: Yushin Okami and Chael Sonnen. That isn't exactly a long list of formidable challengers. Even if the UFC doesn't think that Harris has the skills to eventually join that queue, it still seems premature to let the man go. Personally, I’d like to see him scrap with Chris Leben, Tom Lawlor or Kendall Grove.

I think Harris deserved one more fight to redeem himself, but the good news is that he may find himself back in the major leagues sooner than later with a win or two outside the promotion.