Roberson-Lungiambula Scratched From UFC Fight Night 183 Due to COVID-19

Karl Roberson out due to COVID issues. Unsure if its him or Dalcha.#UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/jl3MgSvW2X

— MMA Lock of the Night (@MMALOTN) December 18, 2020

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s final show of the year is down to 12 fights now.

On Friday morning, Karl Roberson (9-3) posted on his Instagram stories that his matchup with Dalcha Lungiambula (10-2) has been scrapped once again. The two were gearing up to meet at UFC Fight Night 183, in a bout that was pushed to Dec. 19 after being pulled from UFC 256 the week before. Roberson experienced complications related to his prior COVID-19 test, and he has been pulled from the event. Per the UFC’s official statement, the bout has been canceled and no replacement will be sought.

Roberson was looking to get back in the win column after an unsuccessful outing against Marvin Vettori in June, where “Baby K” missed weight badly only to get tapped out in the first round. Before the setback, Roberson notched wins over Wellington Turman and Roman Kopylov, with the latter coming by submission. Initially signed from the first season of Dana White's Contender Series, Roberson smashed current UFC light heavyweight contender in 15 seconds to earn a place on the roster.

Like Roberson, Lungiambula was also trying to make his way back to his winning ways, as he last competed in November 2019 against Magomed Ankalaev. Losing by knockout due to a front kick and suffering his first stoppage defeat due to strikes, the loss snapped a six-fight win streak including one inside the Octagon. After several wins with the Extreme Fighting Championship promotion in South Africa including a championship belt, “Champion” was signed by the Las Vegas-based organization in 2019 and knocked out Dequan Townsend in Round 3.

UFC Fight Night 183 goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 19, with a welterweight headliner between Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal. The co-main event comes in the form of Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Vera at bantamweight, while a major main card matchup earlier on the card sees Kalinn Williams take on Michel Pereira at 170 pounds.