Preview: UFC on ESPN 35 ‘Font vs. Vera’

Middleweights

NR | Krzysztof Jotko (23-5, 10-5 UFC) vs. NR | Gerald Meerschaert (34-14, 9-6 UFC)

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BETUS ODDS: Jotko (-175), Meerschaert (+145)

It is unlikely to be anything approaching a run towards contender status, but 2021 was a nice rebound year for Meerschaert, who reaffirmed himself as one of the more entertaining gatekeepers of the middleweight division. Meerschaert took the long road to the UFC, getting the late-notice call in 2016 after 33 professional fights, so it is unsurprising that he would get by on his veteran savvy. “GM3” established himself in short order, scoring first-round submission wins to kick off his UFC career. A subsequent loss to Thiago Santos established that Meerschaert has a clear physical ceiling, but he has put together a solid run in the years since. Nearly every Meerschaert fight finds him in some sort of danger, but he has been able to find his way towards a submission more often than not. His 2020 campaign ended in rough fashion for Meerschaert, with two quick knockout losses and a COVID-19 diagnosis, but 2021 saw him go 3-for-3 in submission wins, often with the usual rocky path to victory. Makhmud Muradov laid a beating on Meerschaert until he authored a come-from-behind win, while Dustin Stoltzfus also found some success until the Roufusport rep found the finish in the third round. Meerschaert looks to continue his momentum against Poland’s Jotko, who seems firmly planted in the middle of the UFC’s middleweight division at this point. Jotko separated himself from the pack a bit with a five-fight winning streak that ran from 2014 through 2016, but three straight losses clearly halted his momentum as far as any sort of championship run was concerned. Jotko’s well-rounded and capable, allowing him to leverage a clear advantage in either striking or wrestling with his opponent, but against other well-rounded or neutralizing competition, he has mostly been content to make things a 50-50 grind, in part due to his lack of finishing ability. Meerschaert should press the pace, which would give him an advantage on the scorecards if this goes to an ugly decision, but the bet is that Jotko can overpower him in the clinch or on the mat and grind out a victory; and if Meerschaert once again manages to find a tap, it would just be another impressive surprise. The pick is Jotko via decision.

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