Gerald Meerschaert

Overview

Eleven submission wins in the UFC, and not one win by decision. Gerald Meerschaert's record is 12-15, but it reads like a fighter who either finishes the fight or loses it.

"GM3" fights out of Valle Flow Striking Academy as a southpaw at light heavyweight. Of his 12 UFC wins, 11 came by submission and one by KO/TKO. Of his 15 losses, nine came inside the distance and six went to the scorecards. He enters his next fight on a six-fight losing streak.

His longest UFC win streak is three. It's a career built on grabbing necks and limbs, and the results have swung hard in both directions.

UFC Career

Meerschaert made his UFC debut in December 2016 and submitted Joseph Gigliotti in the first round. Ryan Janes followed in 1:34 of round one, and the start looked clean. Then Thiago Santos stopped him in the second round at UFC 213.

He bounced back with a TKO of Eric Spicely at The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale, then submitted Oskar Piechota with five seconds left in round two. A first-round loss to Jack Hermansson and back-to-back split decision losses to Kevin Holland and Eryk Anders broke up a Trevin Giles submission win in 2019.

The middle of his run was the most productive stretch. He submitted Deron Winn at UFC 248, then absorbed back-to-back first-round TKO losses to Ian Heinisch and Khamzat Chimaev. The Chimaev fight lasted 17 seconds. Three straight submission wins over Bartosz Fabinski, Makhmud Muradov and Dustin Stoltzfus made up his longest win streak.

A unanimous decision loss to Krzysztof Jotko ended that run. Wins over Bruno Silva, Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shahbazyan followed, each by submission, with a first-round TKO loss to Joe Pyfer and a split decision loss to Andre Petroski in between. Petroski is the one opponent in his career our model rates as strong.

The Shahbazyan win in August 2024 is his last. After it came losses to Reinier de Ridder, Brad Tavares, Michal Oleksiejczuk, Kyle Daukaus, Jacob Malkoun and Julius Walker.

Six fights, six losses. The Daukaus loss ended in 50 seconds.

Fighting Style

Gerald Meerschaert is a submission hunter. He chases chokes and joint locks at a rate few fighters match, and the finish list shows it. He also gets taken down more than most, which makes him a grappler who is usually in the middle of a ground fight.

On the feet he is a low-output striker, though he is tougher to hit than his volume suggests. He lands less than most fighters, but he doesn't take much in return.

His submission wins come in every round: three in the first, four in the second and four in the third. He is willing to wait for the finish, and often does. His one KO/TKO win came in round two.

His losses show the other side. Six came by KO/TKO, three by submission and six by decision, so when he isn't submitting people, he is often being stopped.

Notable Wins

• Oskar Piechota — submission, round 2 (4:55), The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale (2018)
• Makhmud Muradov — submission, round 2 (1:49), UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze (2021)
• Bruno Silva — submission, round 3 (1:39), UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz (2022)
• Edmen Shahbazyan — submission, round 2 (4:12), UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Borralho (2024)

Quick Facts

• Division: Light Heavyweight
• UFC record: 12-15 (11 wins by submission, 1 by KO/TKO)
• Professional record (all promotions): 37-23-0
• UFC debut: 2016
• Stance: Southpaw
• Height / Reach: 6'1" / 77.5"
• Team: Valle Flow Striking Academy
• Born: Racine, WI, United States