Gerald Meerschaert Retires After TKO Loss to Julius Walker
Gerald Meerschaert has ended his long mixed martial arts career. The 38-year-old announced his retirement in the Octagon at UFC Vegas 122 after Julius Walker stopped him in the second round of their featured preliminary bout at the UFC Apex. The defeat was the sixth in a row for the veteran known as "GM3".
How the fight unfolded
Meerschaert had moved up to light heavyweight in an attempt to snap a five-fight skid, but the change in weight class did not help. Walker, 27 years old and himself coming off two straight losses, used his size and youth from the start. He landed hard shots throughout the opening round, enough to earn a 10-8 score on the cards.
In the second round, Walker kept pressing, got on top and unloaded punches until the referee stepped in at 3:35 to give him the TKO win. During his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Meerschaert confirmed he was done. He said he had enjoyed a good run, admitted he perhaps should have tried 205 pounds earlier, and explained that he has other opportunities to provide for his family.
I had a hell of a time out here performing for you guys.
A place in the record books
Meerschaert leaves the UFC as the middleweight division's leader in finishes, with 12, one more than Anderson Silva. He also shares the division record for submission wins, 11, with Demian Maia. He set both marks on the same night in August 2024, when he submitted Edmen Shahbazyan in the second round at UFC Vegas 96, which was also the last win of his career.
Eleven of his 12 UFC victories came by submission. Across a professional career that began in 2007, he collected 35 stoppage wins out of 37 victories: 29 submissions and six knockouts. He entered the UFC in 2016 after winning the RFA title, and over 27 fights in the promotion he beat names such as Dustin Stoltzfus, Bruno Silva, Trevin Giles and Makhmud Muradov while sharing the cage with Reinier de Ridder, Kevin Holland, Khamzat Chimaev and Joe Pyfer. His final UFC record stands at 12-15.