Gerald Meerschaert sits atop the UFC middleweight record books, and he did it in the style he’s accustomed.
Meerschaert entered Saturday’s UFC Vegas 96 event as a significant underdog in his main card opener against Edmen Shahbazyan. After a patient first round, Shazbazyan badly hurt Meerschaert in Round 2, and despite eating around 40 unanswered ground strikes, “GM3” was able to survive.
Eventually, Meerschaert landed a takedown before locking in a beautiful arm-triangle choke, forcing Shahbazyan to tap at 4:12 of the second round. Check out video of the finish below.
WHAT. A. COMEBACK
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) August 25, 2024
Gerald Meerschaert submits Edmen Shahbazyan in the second round at #UFCVegas96
(via @espnmma) pic.twitter.com/XbRPjh9ze6
With the submission, Meerschaert surpasses Anderson Silva for the most finishes in UFC middleweight history with 12. After going winless in 2023, Meerschaert is now 2-0 in 2024, which includes a submission of Bryan Barberena.
Shahbazyan, once touted as a future UFC champion, has now lost two of three, and five of his past seven octagon appearances.
