Credit:Getty/UFC
Credit: Getty/UFC
Credit: MikeSloan/Sherdog.com
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. A pair of Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweights
with a combined 30 fights of Octagon experience will square off at
the end of April. Per
MMA Junkie on Thursday, Gerald
Meerschaert (34-14) will come to blows with Krzysztof
Jotko (23-5) in the 185-pound division on April 30. The
middleweights will throw down on UFC
on ESPN 35, which is slated to take place inside the UFC Apex
in Las Vegas. The matchup has since been confirmed by both fighters
on their
Instagram
pages.
Coming into this battle that may bring with it rankings
implications is Meerschaert, who is riding a three-fight submission
streak over Bartosz
Fabinski, Makhmud
Muradov and Dustin
Stoltzfus. Since joining the roster in 2016, “GM3” has never
won by any way other than stoppage, with eight submission wins to
his credit a new record across the UFC’s middleweight division. As
a pro, the Roufusport standout celebrates a finish rate of 94%,
only going the distance twice in his entire UFC tenure.
Like Meerschaert, Jotko has competed under the UFC banner 15 times
to date, and he won in his most previous outing by snagging a split
decision over Misha
Cirkunov in October 2021. Dating back to 2019, the Polish
product has rattled off four wins among a single defeat, with
decisions over Alen
Amedovski, Marc-Andre
Barriault and Eryk Anders
coming before a three-round defeat to Sean
Strickland. A stark contrast to his opponent, Jotko has only
recorded a single finish – a first-round knockout over Tamdan
McCrory in 2016 – in his 10 wins as a UFC fighter.
UFC on ESPN 35 is set for April 30, but it does not currently have
a main event or any significant main card designations for bouts on
the card that will be held inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Other
matchups on the billing include a flyweight clash between Antonina
Shevchenko and Cortney
Casey, a lightweight tilt pitting Jared
Gordon against Rafael
Alves, a strawweight affair between Jessica
Penne and Luana
Pinheiro and a heavyweight contest as Jake
Collier takes on Justin
Tafa.
