Preview: UFC Fight Night 239 ‘Tuivasa vs. Tybura’

Middleweights

Gerald Meerschaert (35-17, 10-9 UFC) vs. Bryan Barberena (18-11, 9-9 UFC)

ODDS: Meerschaert (-245), Barberena (+200)

Two gritty veterans best known for outlasting more talented prospects get a chance to fight at some athletic parity in this pairing. Meerschaert certainly took the long way to the UFC, as he had over 30 fights to his name before getting the call in 2016, when he scored a submission win over Joe Gigliotti. That ground game has been Meerschaert’s most consistent path to success, but “GM3” has done well to add an effective boxing game to his toolbox over the years. He can still get blown out of the water by some effective finishers, but it has surely made the difference in fights against Makhmud Muradov and Bruno Silva—sluggers that Meerschaert was able to drag into deep waters and finish late. The Silva win felt like a bit of a breakthrough to cap off 2022, but the follow-up campaign was not particularly kind to Meerschaert. Joe Pyfer managed to blast Meerschaert in quick fashion, and he got stalled out against fellow grappler Andre Petroski in a disheartening decision loss in August. Things might go better against Barberena, whose move up to middleweight has yet to pay dividends. Still, Barberena’s career has shown it is impossible to count “Bam Bam” entirely out.

Barberena was a solid if unremarkable fighter before gaining notice with a 2016 win over Sage Northcutt. That and a subsequent victory over Warlley Alves earned Barberena a reputation as a bit of a prospect-killer. Barberena was able to parlay that into some prominent fights, though his true breakout seemed to come in a 2019 “Fight of the Year” contender against Vicente Luque—a three-round war that raised both men’s stock and saw the latter walk away with a late knockout. However, it seemed like Barberena’s career might come to a premature end just as he was starting to get his flowers. After a subsequent loss to Randy Brown, Barberena suffered some injuries that were both career- and life-threatening over the next two years. Once those were finally in the rear window, Barberena looked understandably flat. His durability still held up to a surprising degree, but it was an open question as to whether Barberena could recapture enough of his old form to seriously compete at the UFC level again. To his credit, Barberena turned back the clock a bit with wins over Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler in 2022, but he has found some subsequent trouble against opponents closer to their primes. Rafael dos Anjos and Gunnar Nelson handled him with little issue, and he was clearly outgunned in his move up to middleweight against Muradov in July. Barberena seems to have more willingness to bite down and make something happen, which could guide him to victory here, but even with Meerschaert’s own athletic concerns, the career middleweight looks to have enough size and skill to stay ahead. It will be a close fight, but the pick is Meerschaert via decision.

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Tuivasa vs. Tybura
Battle vs. Loosa
Nzechukwu vs. St. Preux
Dulgarian vs. Rodriguez
Chiasson vs. Kianzad
Meerschaert vs. Barberena
The Prelims