Karl Roberson Hospitalized, Bout Pulled From UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira

Tonight’s UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira card will still go down, but will do so with one less bout.

That’s because Ariel Helwani of ESPN was the first to report that Karl Roberson has been hospitalized and his bout against Marvin Vettori has been pulled from tonight’s event. Roberson was reportedly hospitalized due to the effects of weight cutting, as he was the only fighter to miss weight for tonight’s card.

The UFC issued the following statement on the cancellation:

“Due to medical issues unrelated to COVID-19 after his weight cut, Karl Roberson has been pulled from his Wednesday bout with Marvin Vettori at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. The UFC Fight Night card, headlined by the bout between Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira, will proceed as scheduled with 10 bouts.”

Roberson’s issues are considered minor and he should recover is full within the next few days.

A pair of bouts have been moved up to the main card from the preliminary card after the fight cancellation, as Michael Johnson versus Thiago Moises and Andrei Arlovski versus Philipe Lins has been bumped up to the main card.

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira takes place tonight from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida with Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.