Karl Roberson earned his third UFC win on Saturday in impressive fashion, and now he appears to already know who he will stand across from next.
Roberson scored a third-round rear-naked choke victory over promotional newcomer and former Fight Nights Global middleweight champion Roman Kopylov on the preliminary portion of UFC Moscow. The choke came after he was on the receiving end of an eye poke that cut his eyelid.
Following his victory, Roberson threw a feeler out for his next opponent.
“Right now, I got my eye on Eryk Anders,” Roberson said via UFC News. “He likes to fight and bang, and he’s gonna stand there, he’s gonna throw some heavy leather and that’s all I’m down to do — put my name out there, put a show on for the fans.”
Anders took notice of his name being in the news and gave his response to the callout on Twitter, answering with a simple rhetorical question: “How could I say no?”
How could I say no? https://t.co/RtyjzY1Rh2
— Eryk Anders (@erykanders) November 9, 2019
Anders made his return to the middleweight division in October after bouncing between 185 and 205 pounds. He defeated Gerald Meerschaert via split decision, his second-straight victory inside the Octagon. The win moved Anders’ middleweight record to 4-2 in the UFC.
Anders previously told John Hyon Ko of The Body Lock that he believes his future lies in the middleweight division.
“I hit these guys at middleweight and, you know, they either to go to the ground or go flying across the cage,” Anders said. “[Light heavyweights] can just take more punishment. I think they’re more durable at 205. So, you know, it just plays better for me.”
For Roberson, he sees this fight as a chance to continue building a name for himself in the UFC.
“This was a good year,” Roberson said backstage. “I had a lot more ups and downs, so that’s a good thing. I fought some legends. So I put my name out there on the map, and next year I’m [hopeful] to move up in the rankings — start getting top 15, top 10, start making my way towards that belt.”
