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Miracle submission win in Vegas
Meerschaert defeated Edmen Shahbazyan via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:12 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
That's Meerschaert's twelfth stoppage victory with the UFC, most in the history of the company's middleweight division. It would also go on to win him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Gerald has zero power in his hands, and his chin is poor, but he's a wizard on the mat, and his toughness is legendary. You're going to have to get him out of there, and as hard as Shahbazyan tried in Round 2, he simply wasn't able to do it. That allowed Meerschaert to eventually take down his opponent and get his submission game going. Edmen was predictably tapping out moments later. Sporting a 3-3 record over his past half-dozen bouts dating back to April 2022, expect Gerald, set to turn 37 years of age in December, to hover around the .500 mark moving forward.
That's Meerschaert's twelfth stoppage victory with the UFC, most in the history of the company's middleweight division. It would also go on to win him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Gerald has zero power in his hands, and his chin is poor, but he's a wizard on the mat, and his toughness is legendary. You're going to have to get him out of there, and as hard as Shahbazyan tried in Round 2, he simply wasn't able to do it. That allowed Meerschaert to eventually take down his opponent and get his submission game going. Edmen was predictably tapping out moments later. Sporting a 3-3 record over his past half-dozen bouts dating back to April 2022, expect Gerald, set to turn 37 years of age in December, to hover around the .500 mark moving forward.
Booked for Vegas
Meerschaert will take on Edmen Shahbazyan in a middleweight fight at UFC Vegas 96 on August 24, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
The veteran middleweight will get his second fight of 2024 after choking out Bryan Barberena at another UFC event in Vegas back in March. Meerschaert will return to the Vegas octagon in August taking on Shahbazyan, who is 10 years younger though both fighters are 2-3 in their last five matches.
The veteran middleweight will get his second fight of 2024 after choking out Bryan Barberena at another UFC event in Vegas back in March. Meerschaert will return to the Vegas octagon in August taking on Shahbazyan, who is 10 years younger though both fighters are 2-3 in their last five matches.
Chokes out Bryan Barberena
Meerschaert defeated Bryan Barberena via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:23 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
These two entered having combined to lose five straight fights, meaning the loser here would almost certainly be handed his walking papers. To Meerschaert's credit, he didn't mess around and leaned on his biggest strength, which also happens to be Barberena's biggest weakness. Gerald fired off seven takedown attempts, landing three, good for 5:03 worth of control time. He kept Bryan pinned to the mat for long stretches at a time before choking him out late in Round 2. Meerschaert has major durability issues, and at age 36, he will be in all sorts of trouble if forced to stand-and-trade with his opposition, but this result likely ensures he'll get at least one more fight with the UFC.
These two entered having combined to lose five straight fights, meaning the loser here would almost certainly be handed his walking papers. To Meerschaert's credit, he didn't mess around and leaned on his biggest strength, which also happens to be Barberena's biggest weakness. Gerald fired off seven takedown attempts, landing three, good for 5:03 worth of control time. He kept Bryan pinned to the mat for long stretches at a time before choking him out late in Round 2. Meerschaert has major durability issues, and at age 36, he will be in all sorts of trouble if forced to stand-and-trade with his opposition, but this result likely ensures he'll get at least one more fight with the UFC.
Barberena up next
Meerschaert is scheduled to compete in a middleweight fight against Bryan Barberena at the UFC's Vegas event on March 16, per Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Meerschaert will look to bounce back in 2024. He went 0-2 during 2023, with losses to Joe Pyfer and Andre Petroski. Barberena is trying to do the same, having gone 0-2 that year as well.
Meerschaert will look to bounce back in 2024. He went 0-2 during 2023, with losses to Joe Pyfer and Andre Petroski. Barberena is trying to do the same, having gone 0-2 that year as well.
Falls just short in split decision
Meerschaert lost to Andre Petroski via split decision (28-29, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC 292 on Saturday in Boston.
ANALYSIS
Meerschaert picks up his third loss in his last four trips to the Octagon, but it's not as if he wasn't competitive as a (+190) betting underdog. He won the overall significant striking battle 76-to-57 and was particularly dominant in Round 3 after securing his first successful takedown. Still, the more damaging shots were landed by Petroski, especially a Round 2 knockdown that Meerschaert barely survived. The 35-year-old finds himself in must-win territory his next time out if he wishes to stick around with the company.
Meerschaert picks up his third loss in his last four trips to the Octagon, but it's not as if he wasn't competitive as a (+190) betting underdog. He won the overall significant striking battle 76-to-57 and was particularly dominant in Round 3 after securing his first successful takedown. Still, the more damaging shots were landed by Petroski, especially a Round 2 knockdown that Meerschaert barely survived. The 35-year-old finds himself in must-win territory his next time out if he wishes to stick around with the company.