LAS VEGAS – Gerald Meerschaert got hit a little more than he would have liked on Saturday, but after another submission victory, he’s not too upset.
In the opening bout of the main card at UFC on ESPN 30, Meerschaert found himself in a firefight early against Makhmud Muradov. After weathering the first-round storm, he was able to turn the tides and slap on a rear-naked choke for the finish in the second.
“I just tried to stay in his face as much as possible,” Meerschaert said during the post-fight news conference. “I was like, ‘Yeah, you can hit me, but I’m gonna be right here the whole time. You’re gonna have to deal with it. So, come hell or high water, we’re fighting each other.’”
Although he wasn’t pleased with his striking performance and knew what his coaches were going to say before they said it, Meerschaert was effective enough on the feet to hurt his opponent which led to the takedown that preceded the submission.
“He was so hurt already, I just kind of threw him on the floor,” Meerschaert said. “When I got on top of him, I was just like, ‘Yeah, you’re too small, buddy. You ain’t going anywhere.’ … I just got next-level skills on the ground, especially after I rocked him a couple of times.”
For the second time in a row, Meerschaert earned an extra $50,000 check for his submission win, which certainly makes victory sweeter.
Watch the full post-fight press conference with Meerschaert in the video above.