Athletes
Gerald Meerschaert | Ready To Make History
On The Verge Of Making History, Gerald Meerschaert Is Set To Take The Walk Back To The Octagon This Weekend At The APEX
With more than 22 fights in the UFC, which ranks tied fourth all-time among middleweights, Gerald Meerschaert has seen almost everything. Whether it is the heavy hitter in Joe Pyfer, or the always crafty Kevin Holland, Meerschaert has been in the cage with some of the best.
When asked about stepping back into the Octagon this weekend, Meerschaert responded, “I’m glad to get back in the cage, excited to put on a good show.”
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Meerschaert is his own type of dog, as he has 12 wins in the UFC, which ranks top 10 in middleweight history, with all 12 coming without a need for the judges.
Of those 12 finishes, 11 came via submission, cementing his status as a true submission artist. Meerschaert understands his game and executes it like no one else. Considering that his 11 submissions are ranked third all-time and the most in middleweight history, there is little to contest that Gerald Meerschaert is fun to watch.
Although he is coming off a loss to Reinier de Ridder, the veteran is well-versed in how to pull lessons out of defeat.
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“Maybe at the end of the fight some different decisions could have led to different outcomes,” he said. “The big thing is, it was a good insight in changing my preparation beforehand and sticking to things I need to stick to. Also, being more diligent, and I think it’ll show in this fight.”
He takes those adjustments into his upcoming fight against fellow veteran Brad Tavares, who is 1-4 in his last five fights and hungry for a win. With 25 total fights in the UFC, which is the most in middleweight history, Tavares has ample experience. Meerschaert, knowing the magnitude of this upcoming fight, made sure to be ready for whatever was thrown at him this weekend.
“Preparation was great,” Meerschaert told UFC.com. “I don’t know if I had a better camp than this. I feel great. Everything’s right on track, so I am excited to see what that bears out on Saturday.”
Meerschaert is no stranger to storylines and records, but this time is different after suffering just his second submission loss of his UFC career.
And after facing a promotional newcomer last time out, he is excited to face someone as seasoned in the Octagon as anyone he could face.
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“I’m excited to fight another veteran,” Meerschaert said. “He’s really tough. What I want to get to will be tough to get to because he has good defense for takedowns, and I’m pretty durable on the feet, so I think it’s going to make for a fun fight.”
While Meerschaert is not ranked, it most certainly does not mean that he should be looked over. For the mere fact that his submission average per 15 minutes is 1.52 and his takedown average is 2.01 over the same time, it can be expected that, at some point of the fight, Meerschaert will bring Tavares to his world and extend his submission record.
All those accolades and experience also speaks to how long Meerschaert has been in the game, and he understands that, at 37, his time is finite.
“I’m definitely closer to the end than anything else,” he said. “But, I feel like I have plenty of fight left in me. Hopefully at least three years on the low side, and we’ll see where we are at from there.
“Hopefully I can rack up three wins in 2025. I haven’t had a three-fight win streak in a while, so hopefully we can do that and then see where we’re at for 2026.”
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Murphy took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 5, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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