One of the most fun upcoming UFC fights this weekend in the APEX will be this middleweight battle between Gerald Meerschaert and Bryan Barberena to open up the main card on Saturday night.
Meerschaert vs. Barberena Picks
- Pick: Meerschaert by Submission (Ev)
Read more for a closer look at this matchup, along with the official Meerschaert vs Barberena prediction before betting on the fights this weekend.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bryan Barberena Information
Gerald Meerschaert vs Bryan Barberena
Location of the fight: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Date & Time: March 16, 2024. 7 PM ET main card start
How to Watch: ESPN+
Last Fight Record
Meerschaert is coming off a split-decision loss to Andre Petroski at UFC 292 last August.
Barberena is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Makhmud Muradov last July in London.
Meerschaert vs. Barberena Betting Analysis
Gerald Meerschaert
Meerschaert is an American mixed martial artist with a 35-17 MMA record, including 6 TKO/KO wins and 27 submissions. The submission artist has a black belt in BJJ and has won four UFC post-fight bonuses.
Meerschaert has the most submission wins in UFC middleweight history and the highest finishes-per-win percentage in UFC history at 100% – meaning all 10 of his UFC wins have come inside the distance. He’s a 6’1” southpaw with a 77” reach, averaging 2.01 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Bryan Barberena
Barberena is an American mixed martial artist with a professional record of 18-11, including 11 TKO/KO wins and 2 submissions so far at the age of 34. The 5-time Fight of the Night winner is coming off three straight losses in the UFC and this might be a fight to keep his spot on the roster.
Barberena is a 6’0” southpaw with a 72” reach. He fights with a high output, averaging 5.53 significant strikes landed per minute while absorbing 4.74. Being a true brawler, Barberena only defends 44% of strikes thrown at him and has a mediocre 49% takedown defense.
Updates
The UFC or ESPN has not reported any injuries.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bryan Barberena Betting Preview
Making picks on this UFC Fight Night card will be difficult due to the closely matched bouts. Making the Meerschaert vs Barberena prediction requires closely examining the betting lines and extensively studying each fighter’s film.
The UFC fight odds have Meerschaert going into this week as the -238 betting favorite over the +203 Barberena. Moreover, there’s a preference for this fight to conclude inside the distance at -170, highlighting Barberena’s aggressive fighting style and Meerschaert’s history of finishing opponents.
Stylistically, this looks like it will be a fun fight on paper. Meerschaert always shows his toughness and ability to pick up the offense as the fights go into the third round (has 4 submissions in the third round) and Barberena is one of the toughest dudes on the roster.
The long limbs and physical strength that Meerschaert possesses give him a big advantage in grappling against the BJJ blue belt this weekend. Barberena should also be a welterweight with the body he has, but he’s probably to the point in his career where he doesn’t want to cut a ton of weight anymore.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bryan Barberena Betting Prediction
After studying the recent performances of both of these guys and understanding the statistics behind them, this Meerschaert vs Barberena prediction is pretty cut and dry. We are taking Meerschaert to get his hand raised in this one.
Meerschaert is a very good grappler who hunts down submissions like no one else in the middleweight division. Additionally, Barberena has suffered three submissions in his career, with two of them occurring in his last three fights.
Look for a good start for Barberena if he switches it on right away, coming forward and trying to land big shots on Meerschaert. But it will always be tough to get on the inside of Meerschaert on your terms with his reach advantage.
This fight will most likely end up on the ground in any round, which is why this UFC pick for Meerschaert by submission is the proper one to make.
- Pick: Meerschaert by Submission (Ev)
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