Gerald Harris – The Joke’s On You
Rhett sent this in:
Oklahoma has produced fighters with incredible heart and the uncanny ability to go into battle ready for ultimate war. One needs to look no further than Johny Hendricks or Matt Wiman for proof of the Oklahoma fighting spirit – a mix part Native American and part frontiersman coddled from the outset by the great Land Run of 1889.
Gerald Harris is no different from these Oklahoma warriors except that he never planned the current course of his life as a professional fighter. Interestingly enough he took another path first, in entertainment, one that he made people double over without him ever laying a hand on them.
“I was actually doing comedy for a couple of years,” says Harris. “I did that all the way through college and a little bit after college. I was my own manager, promoter and I did pretty good, but the money just wasn’t enough for survival. I don’t really talk about it too much because people are always like, ‘tell me a joke’ or they say something crazy and I’m like, ‘c’mon man that’s like going up to a boxer and asking him to shadow box’ (laughs) so I kind of avoid that, but in interviews I don’t mind at all.”
Growing up in Tulsa, Harris was the middle child of five brothers and three sisters. As part of a very tight knit family, Harris relished in the family reunions, barbeques and large birthday extravaganzas that constantly united his immediate family with various uncles and cousins. Being a natural comedian could have been a necessary talent as his surroundings while growing up were chock full of potential pitfalls.
“At the time I was coming up it was pretty rough, man. We were actually ranked in the top five in the nation for murder in my small hometown so I had to avoid all that crazy stuff and stay focused on sports.”
Seeking solace on the field and eventually on the wrestling mat, Harris became an athlete while in high school, which propelled his current path. As part of what Harris calls, ‘a high school wrestling team that was insane because there was a lot of standout talent that made it kind of hard to stand out,’ he was teammates with recent UFC debutant, Daniel Roberts, who fought John Howard in Colorado on March 21st. The opportunity allowed Harris to cement himself as a serious wrestler.
“I tried to play football but I sucked (laughs) so I stuck with wrestling,” says Harris matter-of-factly. “It was actually my vision; I couldn’t see very well when I was younger, and that’s what hurt me in football. So I just stuck with wrestling and that’s what I did all the way through college and a little bit after college. I went to Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio. I hold the record for the most wins at that school and I was a four-year starter, so I had a pretty good career, I can’t complain.”
It was after attaining a Bachelor’s Degree in History that Harris became part comedian and eventually part educator as a middle school and high school teacher. Moving back to Oklahoma to be closer to family, Harris was unable to have his teaching certification accepted by the State of Oklahoma and was subjected to becoming a substitute teacher as opposed to full-time classroom duty, which was to his financial detriment. As fate would have it, during this time of need MMA slowly entered his life.
“Pretty much a substitute (teacher) is decent pay but not good enough to feed your family. So that’s how I 
got into MMA to make extra money and I never planned on having a career. I don’t even really like fighting, I just wanted to make some quick money with my wrestling, take people down and punch them in the face real quick. It ended up turning into a career.”
The transformation from comedian to substitute teacher to MMA fighter wasn’t overnight, however; it was a process that utilized his teaching abilities in a new capacity: wrestling coach.
“I would stop by the gym, guys would call me and say, ‘hey, can you come by and help me with my wrestling’ and I would help them with their wrestling for their fights but I didn’t know nothing whatsoever. I had watched it and played video games, that’s about it. I honestly got into it just to make some money real quick. I didn’t even know how to punch when I first started; I just went in there and used my wrestling and that’s what they were telling me – just take him down. I just wanted to get by. I impressed the crowd and they offered me more money and it just went from there because they kept offering me more money.”
At Ultimate Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi in Charlotte, North Carolina, Harris will face Mario Miranda, currently undefeated and making his UFC debut. As an unknown in the UFC, Harris is focusing on what he is certain will be present from Miranda – an ominous height advantage.
“He’s tall, he’s got length, and the primary thing is just his size. He’s a big dude; he’s 6’4, so that’s definitely a factor and you have to adjust your training for that. So that was one thing we focused in on, but talent wise, we know people’s strengths – jiu-jitsu, boxing, whatever – and there’s nothing really you can do about that but to adjust your training. Weaknesses, I don’t know yet, we’ll find out that night (laughs). We’ve just got to see how he handles pain. I think everybody’s tough until I hurt them. It’s just weird, you know everybody responds different to pain. Whether it’s a submission or a strike, some guys just totally lose their game plan, and totally lose their sense of fighting when they get into adversity.”
As the Oklahoman gears up to meet the UFC debutant, only one thing remains to be seen after the cage door closes: who will be laughing when it is all over?
