Reinier de Ridder vs. Gerald Meerschaert squared off in a Middleweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. Nov. 9, 2024) at UFC Vegas 100 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
De Ridder opened the fight with kicks, poking at “GM3” from distance. Meerschaert closed distance and cracked him with a left, prompting a double leg takedown from the Dutch grappler. Meerschaert quickly scrambled back to his feet, and the kickboxing match resumed. Meerschaert definitely held the boxing edge, cracking his foe with a few more punches. De Ridder did show off a sharp, snappy jab when he threw it, but his defense involved moving straight backwards. Towards the end of the round, de Ridder cracked Meerschaert with a long 1-2, and the momentum shifted drastically. Suddenly, it was “The Dutch Knight” surging forward, stinging Meerschaert with another elbow, then flooring him with a left right before the bell.
As few expected, the two jiu-jitsu guys were throwing down!
De Ridder went back to his default game plan early in the second, scoring a smooth trip takedown. Just as de Ridder seemed to be settling into control, “GM3” avoided a choke, returned to his feet, and landed in top position after a failed throw from de Ridder! De Ridder largely accepted bottom position for a couple minutes then wrestled his way back to top position. The two finished the round trading submission attempts, leaving everything up for grabs in round three.
The two clinched up almost immediately, and de Ridder scored the first takedown. “GM3” scrambled hard for a moment but still ended up stuck on bottom, and de Ridder moved into mount. Suddenly, an arm triangle was locked up, and Meerschaert was forced to tap! After a lot of really competitive scrapping, the contest was over in an instant.
This was a strange fight. Meerschaert won a lot of the bout, but he seemed to run out of gas in the third. As soon as de Ridder was able to gain a dominant position and really establish his control, the finish came quickly. Still, submitting Meerschaert is a solid feather in de Ridder’s cap. I wouldn’t bet on him fighting for the title any time soon, but the Dutch athlete appears to be here to stay!
Result: De Ridder defeats Meerschaert via third-round submission
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