With Murdock as proof it could be done, Harrell kept training and chasing his UFC dream. On March 1, 2025 — less than two years removed from brain surgery — he stepped back into competition on the regional scene and scored a second-round TKO, picking up right where he left off.
“Most of the nerves came back when I was getting ready for fights again,” Harrell said. “Then again, that’s what I do this for: to be excited, to make myself feel alive again.”
He fought three more times that year, going 4-0 with three finishes in his comeback run and improving to 11-0 overall.
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Returning for even one professional fight is a huge feat; doing so in this fashion is remarkable. Harrell doesn’t see it that way, though. For him, competing in the UFC and becoming the best fighter in the world is still at the top of his personal mountain, and these are just steps on a long road to get there.
On February 4, UFC welterweight SeokHyun Ko was forced out of his bout with Jacobe Smith at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez due to injury. Less than two weeks later, Harrell received a call that would move him a crucial step closer to that dream. When the phone rang, the UFC asked if he was in shape and willing to step in. For him, there was no hesitation.