UFC Vet Gerald Harris to Bounce Back at Tachi Palace Fights 9

Gerald Harris

It didn’t take UFC veteran Gerald Harris long to find another place to fight.

Cut loose by the UFC following a unanimous decision loss to Maiquel Falcao at UFC 123, his first loss after three wins by knockout in the Octagon, Harris is in discussions to return at Tachi Palace Fights in Northern California.

If a deal is finalized, he will face Strikeforce and Tachi Palace Fights veteran Anthony Ruiz on May 5 in a middleweight bout, according to TPF’s Jeremy Luchau.

Harris (17-3), prior to the Falcao loss, was on a 10-fight winning streak. It’s not clear why he was released following the one lackluster performance, especially considering his penchant for finishing fights in the Octagon.

Ruiz (25-15) skidded into back-to-back losses recently after a four-fight stretch of victories. He faces a tough task trying to go through Harris to get back on track.

Also on the TPF 9 fight card is a flyweight showdown between highly touted Jackson’s MMA fighter John Dodson (11-5) and undefeated American Top Team 125-pounder Alexis Vila (8-0).

Dodson has followed a steady pattern of winning two fights, then stumbling into a loss over the course of his career. TPF has produced several solid flyweights, so Dodson will be looking to become the next with a win over a very tough opponent. Vila has yet to taste defeat, though, and has finished seven of his eight opponents.

Tachi Palace Fights will first produce its TPF 8 fight card on Feb. 18 featuring a middleweight title bout between Leopoldo Serao and David Loiseau and a flyweight title fight pitting Ulysses Gomez against Darrell Montague.