Karl Williams Replaces Chris Barnett, Meets Chase Sherman at UFC 287

Karl Williams will replace Chris Barnett and square off against Chase Sherman at UFC 287.

The promotion’s Brazilian site recently confirmed the new heavyweight pairing. UFC 287 takes place on Saturday at Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida, and is headlined by a middleweight championship rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya. Barnett withdrew from the bout due to undisclosed reasons.

Williams extended his winning streak to five in his Octagon debut, as he outpointed Lukasz Brzeski at UFC Fight Night 221 on March 11. Prior to that triumph, the American Top Team Atlanta product earned a UFC deal with a decision win over Jimmy Lawson on Dana White’s Contender Series last September.

Sherman, meanwhile, is 1-5 in his last six UFC appearances. Most recently, “The Vanilla Gorilla” suffered a unanimous decision loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Fight Night 215 on Nov. 19.