UFC middleweight veteran Gerald Meerschaert has some lofty goals for his return to the Octagon in August, and that includes pummeling opponent Andre Petroski and calling out a new addition to the division.
For the last seven years, Gerald Meerschaert (35-16) has been a stalwart of the UFC’s 185-pound division. In that time, he has fought a variety of competitors. From well-established or ranked fighters like Jack Hermansson and Thiago Santos to up-and-coming prospects like Joseph Pyfer, and even Khamzat Chimaev. Yet it seems like none of them has rubbed the 35-year-old the wrong way like upcoming opponent Andre Petroski.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 alum is unbeaten after just four fights inside the Octagon. Yet, despite a massive gap in fight experience and UFC tenure, he has surprisingly called for a clash with Meerschaert — an 18-bout UFC vet — on more than one occasion. That, matched with an apparent dislike of Petroski’s face, has seemingly put an added fire under “GM3” ahead of their matchup at UFC 292 on Aug. 19.
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“Andre called me out a couple of times before. I accepted a couple of times. But we always seemed to be matched up and fighting at different times, and I just feel like beating the [expletive] out of that guy,” Meerschaert said during an appearance this week on Sportsnaut’s Scrap Report. “I’ve got no problems doing that. I’ve got no love loss for Andre Petroski. I don’t know what it is, there’s just something about him that I don’t like. He’s got a punchable face, what can I say?”
“I wanna prove a point to this guy and everybody watching,” he continued. “I don’t even want it to look like we belong in the same cage together.”
Gerald Meerschaert not interested in a Bo Nickal bout, but wants a scrap with Paul Craig next
If the 51-fight MMA veteran is successful, it would be a notable bounce-back win after a frustrating defeat in April. It would also be a chance to build some momentum and land in the UFC middleweight rankings later this year. During his Scrap Report appearance, he was asked if a matchup with super-prospect Bo Nickal would interest him. Since it would offer a big spotlight and the UFC seems to consistently put him in bookings with rising 185-pound fighters.
However, Gerald Meerschaert doesn’t see much upside in the matchup right now and believes a booking against former light heavyweight turned middleweight, and fellow grappling ace, Paul Craig would make a lot more sense next if he is victorious at UFC 292.
“I trained with [Nickal] a while back before he started MMA. I’d still like to train with him again,” said Meerschaert. “I know we have mutual friends. I think’s got a lot of stuff I could use and I know I’ve got stuff he can use. Obviously, we’re both in the division so if we fight, we fight. … He’s got a lot of hype and yea it wouldn’t hurt to get a win but I also don’t know how it helps me because he’s not ranked.
“Even if I beat him in spectacular fashion, [and] I win like he won in his last fight, that still doesn’t guarantee me a spot in the top 15 and it doesn’t guarantee me to fight a guy that’s ranked,” he added. “… It’s not like it would be negative in any way, but if I want to get into the rankings, especially if I win in emphatic fashion in this one, I was thinking about calling out somebody like Paul Craig. And I know Paul Craig called out Bo Nickal, but Paul Craig’s been ranked before [at light heavyweight].”
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski is set to take place on the undercard of UFC 292, which goes down inside the TD Garden Arena in Boston, Massachusetts on Aug. 19.