UFC Lock of the Night: Middleweight Matchup
Record-Holder Meerschaert Expected to Dominate
Which middleweight holds the UFC record for most submissions in the division? If you thought of Anderson Silva or Demian Maia, you would be wrong because the answer is Gerald Meerschaert. “GM3” has won seven of his eight victories via submission. He should extend his record this Saturday against Dustin Stoltzfus as the UFC betting odds indicate.
- Date: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
- Venue: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, NV
- Watch on: ESPN+
Dustin Stoltzfus vs Gerald Meerschaert
- Weight Class: Middleweight (185)
- Rounds: Three
- Moneyline: Dustin Stoltzfus +185, Gerald Meerschaert -235
- Totals: Over 1½ (-170), Under 1½ (+140)
Meerschaert (33-14-0) was left for dead following his viral knockout loss against Khamzat Chimaev. Instead of fading into obscurity, he would submit both of his opponents this year and is now a deserving favorite over Dustin Stoltzfus (13-3-0).
Re-phrasing for clarity:
If Gerald Meerschaert wins next weekend, he should be in the conversation for Comeback of the Year.
He will be 3-0 in 2021 coming off of back to back 1st round KO losses.
One of those wins was as a +500 underdog against Makhmud Muradov.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 12, 2021
Usually, betting online on Meerschaert is asking to be robbed. He is slow and does not have a good chin. One clean shot from Stoltzfus could make him do the chicken dance. But if Stoltzfus’s only shot to victory is via a “puncher’s chance,” Meerschaert should be a bigger favorite and that’s why he’s our ‘Lock of the Night’.
Why Meerschaert Wins
Simply put, Meerschaert is a lot better than Stoltzfus. The Roufusport product has a black belt in both kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He can finish fights on the mat and on his feet. The only thing holding this man back from a spot in the top-15 is his speed. He’s quite slow and hittable, absorbing 0.34 more significant strikes per minute more than he lands.
His chin is also not the most durable, but he is not made of glass. Meerschaert was in a fight against Makhmud Muradov, the knockout artist. He submitted him. He did the same to Oskar Piechota and also survived Kevin Holland.
Stoltzfus is not the same caliber as a striker as both men, nor is he even any good on the ground. He was dominated by his last two opponents by exploiting his wrestling weakness. Meerschaert should make short work of him on the mat.
Why Stoltzfus Wins
We can’t entirely write off Stoltzfus here. The 30-year-old is a well-rounded fighter who has a few submissions on his record. If Meerschaert gets careless, he could find himself being on the wrong end on the mat.
Stoltzfus is also not what one would call a hard puncher. But he has plenty of pop in his punches and is a far more active striker. He also has a speed advantage over Meerschaert and that can come a long way here. Even with his suspect wrestling, if he can keep this fight standing, he may just make Meerschaert and his backers sweat.
We won’t hold our breath but Stoltzfus has paths to victory. They may not be as clear as Meerschaert’s, but folks can convince themselves to bet on him on the BetUS online Sportsbook if they tried.
The Lock of the Night is …
We already threw Meerschaert into our Parlay of the Week so we’ll double down and make him our Lock of the Week. Meerschaert should be able to take Stoltzfus down just as easily as Rodolfo Vieira and Kyle Daukaus did. And once it’s on the mat, it’s game over. Make Meerschaert your best UFC bet this evening.
Pick: Gerald Meerschaert -235
