BOSTON – Andre Petroski beat Gerald Meerschaert with a split decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston.
Take a look inside the fight with Petroski, who has started his UFC career with five straight wins at middleweight.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski
Result: <Andre Petroski def. Gerald Meerschaert via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Updated records: Petroski (10-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), Meerschaert (35-17 MMA, 10-9 UFC)
Key stats: Petroski went to a decision for the second straight time after having his first eight pro wins by stoppage.
Petroski on the fight's key moment
“I did face some adversity in the fight. I think at the end of the second or the beginning of the third, he did hit me with a shot that kind of rocked me. I think that was the first time I’ve ever been taken down, so that was a first. I was on my back like, ‘Well, I’ve never been here before’ – and especially being on my back late in a fight when I’m winded and tired. Now we’re fighting – so that was good experience for me.”
Petroski on proving himself
“Right now, I’m just happy. It was a hard-fought, obviously good fight – a good test for me. I think that although it wasn’t like the finish that I wanted, it wasn’t the submission that I wanted, I continue to prove myself. I continue to prove that I have all the tools. I’m not just a submission expert. I can go the distance. I’ve proven that the last two fights. Say what you want about ‘GM3’ – the dude’s got f*cking 60 fights. For me to go in there with 15 total rounds ever fought against a guy that’s been around forever – I continue to prove myself. I continue to prove that I’m here to stay in the UFC.”
Petroski on what he wants next
“Bo (Nickal) can only run for so long. … When he said, ‘No one’s got 10 percent of my grappling,’ that’s when I was like, ‘That’s weird.’ Then everyone was saying nobody wants to fight Bo Nickal, and I’m like, ‘What are we talking about here? I’ve asked for him three times.’ It’s always been I’m a grappler and he’s a Dan Hodge Trophy winner. That’s the Heisman (Trophy) of wrestling. That’s something I want a piece of. So it’s personal to me. I don’t know if it’s personal between the two of us, but we can get personal. Sh*t, we (can) get real personal.
“… There are other guys though that I want in the meantime. I want to get in the cage as often as possible. I don’t do well with long layoffs. It’s been eight months since I fought, and that wasn’t the UFC’s fault. They booked me and I had to pull out with an injury. Nonetheless, I want to fight as often as possible. I do better when I’m active. I don’t do very well with long layoffs.”
To hear more from Petroski, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
