Marvin Vettori set to face Karl Roberson at UFC on ESPN+ 31

Just one month after seeing his fight in London scratched, Italian middleweight Marvin Vettori has a new assignment to prepare for.

Vettori (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) will take on Karl Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 31 on Apr. 25. Roberson confirmed the matchup on his social media after an initial report from MMA Fighting.

Vettori was scheduled to face England’s Darren Stewart at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London last month, but due to the escalating travel and event hosting issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was postponed and Vettori’s fight was scrapped. Stewart went on to face Poland’s Bartosz Fabinski at Cage Warriors 113, and now Vettori has his replacement matchup.

Roberson was expected to face Makhmud Muradov at UFC 249 on Apr. 18, but Prague resident Muradov has also been unable to leave the country. The American will now push his preparation back one week and switch his focus to U.S.-based Italian Vettori, with both men looking to make it three wins in a row.