Gerald Meerschaert scored his second-straight win with an amazing come-from-behind victory over Edmen Shahbazyan to kick off the UFC Vegas 96 main card.
It appeared to be all but over for GM3 after Shahbazyan landed a sneaky right to the body that buckled Meerschaert and sent him crashing to the canvas. Swarming in, Shahbazyan uncorked an onslaught of punches and elbows, but Meerschaert never stopped moving and defending, preventing referee Mark Smith from stepping in and stopping things.
Before long, Shahbazyan recognized he wasn’t going to get the finish and got back to his feet. Sensing his opponent may be running on empty, Meerschaert swooped in for an easy takedown. Once on the mat, it was only a matter of time. Meerschaert worked his way into mount and locked in a tight arm triangle that forced Shahbazyan to tap out with less than a minute left in the second.
Official Result: Gerald Meerschaert def. Edmen Shahbazyan via submission (arm triangle choke) at 4:12 of Round 2.
With the win, Meerschaert moved to 37-17 and now has the most finishes in UFC middleweight history.
Check out highlights from Gerald Meerschaert vs. Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 96:
You simply can't count Gerald Meerschaert out!
What a comeback by @The_Real_GM3 to start off the #UFCVegas96 main card! pic.twitter.com/R9qFCYzT6w
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) August 25, 2024
Oficial, @The_Real_GM3 derrota a Edmen Shahbazyan por sumisión (triángulo de brazo) #UFCVegas96
pic.twitter.com/ari5VVQMOr
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) August 25, 2024
