UFC 249: Karl Roberson to face Makhmud Muradov at Barclays Center
Middleweight Karl Roberson fights Jack Marshman during UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 3, 2018. Credit: Jeffrey Basinger
Just over a year ago, Karl “Baby K” Roberson came to Brooklyn for a short-notice fight against a UFC stalwart a weight class above his own.
His next visit to Barclays Center should be a bit less chaotic.
Roberson is set to face Makhmud Muradov in a middleweight bout at UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, the UFC said Wednesday.
A New Jersey native, Roberson (9-2, 4-2 UFC) will fight at Barclays Center for the second time, his first coming last January against Glover Teixeira at light heavyweight on about a week’s notice. Roberson lost that bout via first-round submission, but he’s won both of his fights since, beating Wellington Turman via split decision last July and Roman Kopylov via submission in November. He also won his first bout in New York in November 2018, beating Jack Marshman in a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden.
Muradov (24-6, 2-0 UFC) will fight in the area for the first time in his career. The Uzbekistan native was scheduled to fight Antonio Carlos Junior in March, but the fight was scrapped following an injury to Carlos Junior. The 30-year-old has picked up two wins to open his UFC tenure, beating Alessio Di Chirico in a unanimous decision last September before a third-round knockout victory over Trevor Smith in December.
UFC 249 is scheduled to be headlined by a long-awaited lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
