Respect. Empathy. Grace and honor. These are the attributes that could propel a fighter into a fan’s good graces. However, these virtues aren’t just applied in the world of combat sports. And, UFC Heavyweight Walt Harris is proving that as he plans on running for City Council in Homewood, Alabama.
Walt Harris on Running for City Council
To break the news, Harris spoke to MMA Junkie. During the conversation, he noted why he decided to run for office. As well as being a public servant, and what the response to the announcement has been thus far.
“The people in my community that are running for various offices right now came to me and thought it’d be a good idea and a welcomed change for our community,” said Harris in response to why he’s running for office. “It definitely was something I put a lot of thought into. It just came about two or two-and-a-half weeks ago. Took me about four or five days to make a decision on it.”
Harris on Facing Challenges and Still Continuing to Fight
As the conversation continued, Walt spoke about the challenges that would arise during the process. Furthermore, he reassured that he was up to the task.
“It’s a challenge, and I’m prepared to meet it 110 percent with everything I got in me, because that’s just how I approach everything. I started fighting without any experience. I look at it like a challenge like that. It’s something I’m willing to try to conquer, and I’m going to do the best I can.”
In conclusion, Harris made sure to let fans know that running for office is a daunting task. However, it won’t interfere with seeing him perform inside of the UFC octagon.
“The office is a part-time job, so it’s not like I’ll be dedicating any extraneous amount of hours that’s going to take away from what I’m doing. Like I said, our community is tight-knit. Everybody knows me,” expressed Walt. “They’re willing to work with me as far as that goes. Fighting is definitely in the forefront. This is just something that I’m taking advantage of because the time is now. … Win or lose, I’m honored to be a part of it.”
