Gerald Harris regrets performance at UFC 123

Gerald Harris had a long and arduous road back to the worlds largest organization.

After appearing on the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, the talented powerhouse wrestler worked his way through the regional circuit of the mixed martial arts scene in order to vie for a spot within the promotion.

Comprising a 7-fight win streak outside of the octagon, Harris was eventually welcomed into the ufc, which has become synonymous with the pinnacle of the sport.

Opening up his career within the organization with impressive and devastating performances over formidable opponents, Harris dropped the ball in his last outing against Maiquel Falcao. And after a the Brazilian snapped Harris’ three fight win-streak inside the cage, Gerald was released from the promotion after a lack luster affair.

“I messed up… I had the biggest opportunity in the world, and I didn’t seize the day. I didn’t take advantage of the situation I was in”, said Harris while speaking with MMAJunkie.com.

The performance turned in by “The Hurricane” was not a vintage result turned in, to say the least. Falcao had Harris i trouble early with a near fight-ending rear-naked choke in the waning moments of the first round.

The round itself was mired in controversy when Falcao went on to proclaim Harris had tapped to the choke, Harris denies those claims. An impromptu investigation is under way by the Michigan State Athletic Commission, after many people have come forward stating that the first-round ended seconds earlier then intended, leading people to believe that the frame ended early in Harris’ favor.

Regardless, it was the third round that received the most criticism, when the two men engaged in a heated staring contest for the five-minute affair, neither one committed to finishing the fight. As such, Gerald was released.

“I don’t feel sorry for myself in a sense of being cut”, said the Oklahoma native.

“I’m more disappointed with my performance than anything. That’s what hurts me the most

The third round is the one round that Harris has a hard time remembering, which unfortunately was the product of his release.

“It’s a blur,” stated Gerald. “I got blasted a couple of times in that fight. Any fighter can tell you when you get rocked, you kind of go away and come back and realize, ‘Oh, hey, I’m still in this.’ We clashed a couple times in scrambles, and I got in trouble.

“The only thing I remember about the third round is in the last 10 seconds, he started going nuts like he was about to do something. The third round is a blur, honestly. I remember going after him. I wasn’t scared. I was going after him, but I wasn’t throwing haymakers.”

In the end, Harris is looking at his release as a positive, or at least as much as a positive as he can gather from a “crappy” situation. For the time being, his time spent away from the UFC will be one of learning and growth, which will hopefully aid him in an eventual return.

“I know what I have to do. I promise you this: The next time you see me fight, you’re going to see a different person. I consider being cut a negative thing, but I’m going to try and make it a positive. This can give me an opportunity to fight in my hometown. This can give me the opportunity to make the changes I need to become a champion.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Harris? He’s sincere, that much is certain. Can we chalk it up to a fluke performance? Should he have been released? Sound off in the comment section below.