Gerald Meerschaert: 'GM3' Is Built To Last

"I'm sure the training, the knowledge, just listening to my body – all that stuff helps. But, I'm just built tough.

"You get past 30 fights and then get into the UFC, and then keep going for a while after that, that kind of speaks for itself. There's a lot of guys that don't even have 30 fights.

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"And I will say it is different once you get in the UFC. Thirty fights outside of the UFC versus in the UFC is a much, much different thing. But I'm closing in on that, too, and hopefully we'll get there soon."

For a man who has been competing professionally since 2007, it would be easy to think that his passion for competition has started to fade in recent years. But that couldn't be further from the case. While the opposition may have gotten tougher for the warrior from Wisconsin, his enthusiasm for the challenge has never been stronger.

"Man, I just love what I do. I truly enjoy this," he explained.

"I enjoy the process, I enjoy training, I enjoy being in the room. I enjoy fight week. Not all the time, but I enjoy cutting weight even, and just getting in really great shape, except for that couple hours before the weigh-ins, and the day before, maybe. But, other than that, you love what you do, you don't work a day in your life."

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Fights are about much more than just the battle on fight night – before the Octagon door closes there are usually weeks of preparation, hard training and punishing hard work to condition the mind and body for the challenge ahead. Despite going through that cycle more than 50 times, Meerschaert still enjoys the grind of getting ready - and getting better – and says that he's still improving from fight to fight. And, when it comes to his career, he says improvement is the key thing he looks for, regardless of the result on fight night.

"Honestly, I just focus on the process. There's no specific targets," he said. 

"It's cool, but honestly, I don't realize this stuff until you guys tell me!" he laughed.

"I'm focused on what I've gotta get done today, this weekend, in the fight, and I try not to think about it too much. It's a cool thing to say out loud, and I'm sure when I retire, that'll be a nice feather in the cap to say that.

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"But just to be in the conversation with such a great fighter, and some of these good finishers, that's a win, in and of itself. And that just helps give me confidence going into the fight."

Given his response to that news, it probably shouldn't be a huge surprise that his approach to finishing fights is a straightforward one, too.

"I don't know that there's any specific thing that's a secret, because everyone's different," he explained.

"Everybody fights differently and has different pros and cons to their style. But I have always trained with the idea in mind that I need to finish the fight, I need to have that definite ending, and just finding the best way to do that.

"If I'm punching and kicking you, it's to either set up a clean knockout or hurt you enough that I can get to your neck and finish the fight that way. And that's probably why I have so many chokes. It's (because) I know you could snap a guy's arm or his leg and, if he's tough, he'll keep fighting. But no one can keep fighting without oxygen."

And, for a man who has claimed a staggering 28 wins by submission, he suggested that you don't have to be an elite grappler to consistently find submission finishes in MMA. It's all about being competent at key techniques and knowing when to use them.

"If you're going to be a successful MMA fighter, you don't have to be a jiu-jitsu wiz. Just have one or two good chokes. Get OK at a rear naked choke and I promise you, if you beat a guy up enough, you don't have to be an ADCC champ, or a CJI champ, you've just gotta be OK."

Being well conditioned and well drilled has been the secret to Meerschaert's longevity, and his success, in the Octagon. And his fighting philosophy is all about getting from point A to point B as quickly and easily as possible, using whatever means necessary.

"In training, obviously, I try to take away as many of my mistakes as possible, because it's really hard to beat a guy that doesn't make mistakes. That's first and foremost," he explained.

"Then it's like, what do you see as the most likely path to victory? If it presents itself, then I'm gonna go for it. And it usually ends up happening that way. 

"But if it doesn't, I'm gonna be in your face, and you're gonna have to deal with me. And we've seen, I've been in fights before where I plan on doing one thing, and then there was a different path to victory that still worked, and I just went that way.

"So you don't know what's going to happen until fight night, but you shore up all your loose ends and go in there and just kind of play it by ear. And, as long as you put in the work, the result will speak for itself."

That no-frills approach will be put to the test again this weekend when he takes on Edmen Shahbazyan, who is looking to re-establish some momentum after an impressive first-round finish last time out.

Meerschaert has plenty of respect for the 26-year-old, and predicts a lively encounter when they throw down at the UFC APEX on Saturday night.

"He's tough. He's still a young kid. He came in as young kid, and he's still young. That being said, he has a lot more UFC experience than most people his age. I think he's matured a lot as a fighter. He's going to be tough.

"He presents some unique challenges, and I think there's definitely places I can get him, but he's never out of a fight. He's got enough power that can make a difference, so it's going to be good. There's a clear path to victory for both of us, and I'm looking forward to seeing who can impose their will more, and I plan on coming out with the W.

"It's probably going to be like two barn cats fighting in the first round. If I clip him early, great. If I don't, then I'm still going to be there for Rounds 2 and 3, and we'll see how he holds up."

And if Meerschaert keeps on seeing those improvements he referred to above, you can bet he'll be sticking around for as long as possible, where another unique milestone could present itself, as the first fighter to have 30+ fights outside the UFC and 30+ fights inside the UFC.

"Yeah!" he grinned.

"There's not going to be too many guys that do that!"