Gerald Meerschaert and Brad Tavares meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 65 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Gerald Meerschaert vs. Brad Tavares UFC on ESPN 65 preview
Perhaps one of the most unheralded UFC stats is that Meerschaert (37-18 MMA, 12-10 UFC) hash nine straight wins by submission and nearly 80 percent of his total haul of MMA victories by tapout. If he can get Tavares (20-10 MMA, 15-10 UFC) to tap, it will be the 30th submission of his career. The beauty of the matchup? Tavares hasn't been submitted in 15 years – and it didn't even count since it was a fight in the "TUF" house.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Brad Tavares UFC on ESPN 65 expert pick, prediction
Filling out the main card is a matchup between two of my favorite middleweights, Brad Tavares and Gerald Meerschaert.
Despite my constant complaining about the matchmakers' love of force-feeding us middleweights at any opportunity, Meerschaert and Tavares are two fighters whom I have genuine love and appreciation for.
Tavares doesn't get enough love for his longevity due to his propensity to participate in hard-fought decisions. Meerschaert, on the other hand, is a workman-like veteran who will generally sell out to secure his win conditions – which is why he quietly holds so many finishing records at 185 pounds.
Although Meerschaert is primarily known for his submission prowess, "GM3" is an underrated southpaw striker who can make things much closer than many suspect. Luckily for Tavares, he generally tends to fair well against dedicated UFC-level lefties, standing at 3-1 opposite listed southpaws in the octagon.
Tavares' last finish also comes against a southpaw in Krzysztof Jotko, but the Xtreme Couture product also got clipped with a southpaw right hook by a stance-switching Bruno Silva (who eventually knocked him out from orthodox with another right hand).
I'm not sure Meerschaert has the same pop or shot selection as Silva, so this may come down to his ability to wear down and eventually ground Tavares. The small cage should favor Meerschaert's efforts, I'm just not sure it will be enough to overcome Tavares' excellent takedown defense.
As a big fan of these guys, I'm hoping for a Fight of Night barnburner that ends in a draw. But as an analyst who is trying his best to put biases aside, I believe that Tavares is stylistically set up to hit his quiet trend of finding a finish in the octagon every seven years.
The pick is Tavares by knockout in Round 1.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Brad Tavares UFC on ESPN 65 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Hawaiian fighter, listing Tavares (-220) and Meerschaert (+176) via FanDuel.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Brad Tavares UFC on ESPN 65 start time, how to watch
Meerschaert and Tavares are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:15 p.m. ET. The fight airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC on ESPN 65.
This article originally appeared on MMA ...
