A couple of previously scheduled fights have landed on the UFC’s upcoming Jacksonville, Florida card on May 13. At heavyweight, Andrei Arlovski will welcome Philipe Lins to the octagon, while middleweights Karl Roberson and Marvin Vettori will also collide. Both fights had been booked for previous cards, though Vettori in particular has had quite the journey getting to this point.
Vettori (14-4-1) was originally expected to face Darren Stewart at UFC London back in March. However, with the coronavirus pandemic scuttling that show, the Italian was moved to UFC Lincoln on April 25, against Roberson (9-2).
With that event also cancelled due to mass gathering bans to stop the spread of the virus, the fight was in limbo. However, MMA Junkie reported Monday that it was back on, for the unnamed May 13 card.
Roberson has won two straight at 185lbs, most recently submitting Roman Kopylov last November. Vettori is on a two-fight win streak of his own, having earned unanimous decision wins over Cezar Ferreira and Andrew Sanchez.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (28-19, 2NC), meanwhile, is still the man to welcome PFL 2018 heavyweight winner Philipe Lins to the octagon. Lins (14-3) has not fought since defeating Josh Copeland to win the million dollar prize on December 31, 2018, in the tournament final of the PFL’s inaugural season.
Arlovski last fought against Jair Rozenstruik at UFC 244 last November, finding himself knocked out in just 29 seconds. “The Pitbull” confirmed his bout with Lins was back on via social media.
