Gerald Meerschaert has a knack for the comeback, and he added an all-timer to his resume Saturday at UFC on ESPN 62.
On the main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) established himself as the middleweight division’s all-time finisher with 12, when he submitted Edmen Shahbazyan (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) with an arm-triangle choke in come-from-behind fashion at 4:12 of Round 2.
Meerschaert was nearly finished in Round 2 as he absorbed dozens of blows to his head (with many more blocked by his arms) after Shahbazyan dropped him and pounced for the kill.
Shahbazyan appeared to slow following the elongated punching sequence and eventually Meerschaert worked his way to top position. From there, he locked in a choke and got the tap.
WHAT A COMEBACK FOR GERALD MEERSCHAERT 😳
He now holds the most finishes in UFC middleweight history 👏 #UFCVegas96 pic.twitter.com/Oo43s26UQO
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 25, 2024
Meerschaert already held the division’s submission record entering the card. He’s now on a two-fight winning streak. Shahbazyan falls to 2-2 in his most recent four.
The up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 62 results include:
- Gerald Meerschaert def. Edmen Shahbazyan via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:12
- Francis Marshall def. Dennis Buzukja via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Zach Reese def. Jose Medina via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Viacheslav Borshchev def. James Llontop via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Josiane Nunes via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 27-30)
- Wang Cong def. Victoria Leonardo via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:02
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 62.
