Karl Roberson out of UFC on ESPN+ 29 after overnight hospital visit because of weight cut

Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori is off of UFC on ESPN+ 29.

A person close to the situation told MMA Junkie on Wednesday that Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fell ill overnight because of weight-related issues and was taken to a local hospital.

Medical personnel deemed Roberson unfit to compete, so his fight with Vettori (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) has been canceled. At Tuesday’s weigh-ins, Vettori hit his mark, but Roberson came in 1.5 pounds over the middleweight limit at 187.5.

News of the cancellation was first reported by ESPN and later confirmed in a UFC statement.

“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 statement read. “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 to be minor, and doctors believe he should make a full recovery in a few days. A rebooking at a heavier weight on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 card was discussed by the parties involved but was deemed by the promotion to be too soon.

Roberson, 29, is coming off back-to-back wins. After defeating Wellington Turman by split decision at UFC on ESPN+ 13 in July, Roberson submitted Roman Kopylov at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in November.

As for Vettori, the 26-year-old Italian fighter is riding a winning streak of his own. At UFC on ESPN+ 13, Vettori defeated Cezar Ferreira by unanimous decision. Three months later, Vettori earned a unanimous decision nod against Andrew Sanchez at UFC on ESPN+ 19.

The UFC on ESPN+ 29 lineup now includes:

• Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira
• Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux
• Drew Dober vs. Alexander Hernandez
• Ray Borg vs. Ricky Simon
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins
• Michael Johnson vs. Thiago Moises
• Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
• Hunter Azure vs. Brian Kelleher
• Chase Sherman vs. Ike Villanueva
• Gabriel Benitez vs. Omar Morales