With fan favorite Chris Barnett forced out of his UFC 287 match-up, Chase Sherman was briefly left in need of a new opponent.
He now has just that, as Sherman (16-11) will face Dana White’s Contender Series alum Karl Williams (8-1) at the Pay-Per-View event this Saturday, April 8 in Miami, Florida.
MMA Fighting was first to report news of Williams stepping in. Official UFC broadcaster ESPN also confirmed the booking, adding Williams to the event’s line-up.
Williams made his UFC debut earlier this month, winning a unanimous decision over Łukasz Brzeski. The victory extended the heavyweight’s current win streak to five.
Sherman, on what is technically his third stint with the promotion, is coming off a loss against Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Prior to that, he had earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for a TKO finish of Jared Vanderaa.
“The Vanilla Gorilla” sports a rocky 4-10 record inside the octagon — but his willingness to fight on short notice and salvage bouts has kept him employed.
UFC 287 takes place at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida this Saturday, April 8, 2023, and is headlined by a middleweight title fight. That match-up sees Alex Pereira defending his title against rival Israel Adesanya, in an immediate rematch of their November meeting. Including kickboxing, it will be the fourth time the pair have met in combat sports.
The following fights are expected to be part of the Miami card:
- Alex Pereira (c) vs. Israel Adesanya — for the UFC middleweight championship
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Chris Curtis vs. Kelvin Gastelum
- Michelle Waterson vs. Luana Pinheiro
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden
- Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia
- Jaqueline Amorim vs. Sam Hughes
- Chase Sherman vs. Karl Williams
