Middleweights
Karl Roberson (7-2) vs. Wellington Turman (15-2)
Odds: Roberson (-220), Turman (+180)
It'll be interesting to see what Roberson turns into. The Jersey native was signed just five fights into his career, the last of which was a 15-second knockout of Ryan Spann on "Dana White’s Contender Series" that earned him his contract. Roberson followed that up with another explosive fight in his UFC debut, handling Darren Stewart in short order, but 2018 onwards has seen "Baby K" follow a much more typical prospect track. The UFC rushed him into a fight against Cezar Ferreira where the former kickboxer was taken down and submitted without much trouble, but got a soft landing with a win in a decent striking match over Jack Marshman. Roberson then stepped in on late notice this past January to take on Glover Teixeira at light heavyweight, which was a mixed bag; Roberson did fairly well given the circumstances in a sprint of a fight, but still wound up overwhelmed by Teixeira's grappling game. Roberson's slowly filling his game out, and frankly, his striking speed might make him a better prospect if he stayed back up at 205; but instead, he's back down at middleweight against newcomer and late replacement Wellington Turman.
Turman's just days shy of his 23rd birthday, but the Brazilian already has nearly five years and 20 fights worth of experience under his belt and has faced a solid slate of competition. There's things to like about Turman, as he has decent size for the division and has shown the ability to hold his own as a patient striker from range. But the bread and butter of Turman's game is when he can get his hands on his opponent, as he's been able to bull opponents around in the clinch, score takedowns and hunt for submissions, like he did in his last bout against UFC vet Marcio Alexandre. It's a solid kit of tools that combined with his youth makes Turman a prospect to watch, even if there's still some growing to do.
This made a bit more sense as a main card fight when Roberson was slated to face John Phillips; that wouldn't have been a particularly relevant bout, but it would've been the type of guaranteed banger that the UFC likes to feature. With Phillips replaced by Turman, it's a much odder choice, as Roberson is a decent prospect, but nothing worth having this high up on a surprisingly deep card. At any rate, this should be a good opportunity for both men to put in solid work and Roberson's athleticism should allow him to get the better of things. Roberson has the skills to just win a medium-paced kickboxing contest, but even if Turman can get things into the clinch, Roberson has shown the combination of strength and decent enough skills to keep danger at bay. And Roberson might even be able to turn that around on Turman; for as good as the UFC newcomer looks when he has the grappling advantage, he also appears to be the type of grappler who can find himself in trouble from the bottom. Turman should be able to hang tough and show some of his own potential, but this looks like a Roberson showcase, if not an amazingly impressive performance; the pick is Roberson via decision.
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