Brad Tavares vs Gerald Meerschaert at UFC on ESPN 65 | Preview & Prediction
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We have a fascinating middleweight matchup between two veterans of the UFC as Brad Tavares meets submission-specialist Gerald Meerschaert
Brad Tavares vs Gerald Meerschaert Facts
When is UFC on ESPN 65? UK – the preliminary card starts at 11:00pm on Saturday 5th April 2025, followed by the main card at 2:00am (Sunday) / USA – 6:00pm/9:00pm ET and 3:00pm/6:00pm PT
Where is UFC on ESPN 65? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 65? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC On ESPN 65
What TV channel is UFC on ESPN 65 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 65? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC on ESPN 65 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Brad Tavares and Gerald Meerschaert expected to walk out? 03:15am UK / 10:15pm US ET / 7:15pm US PT
UFC on ESPN 65 Main Card
Josh Emmett vs Lerone Murphy (Featherweight)
Pat Sabatini vs Joanderson Brito (Featherweight)
Cortavious Romious vs Lee Chang-ho (Bantamweight)
Brad Tavares vs Gerald Meerschaert (Middleweight)
Ode' Osbourne vs Luis Gurule (Flyweight)
Torrez Finney vs Robert Valentin (Middleweight)
UFC on ESPN 65 Prelims
Davey Grant vs Daniel Santos (Bantamweight)
Diana Belbita vs Dione Barbosa (Women’s Flyweight)
Rhys McKee vs Daniel Frunza (Welterweight)
Victor Henry vs Pedro Falcao (Bantamweight)
Loma Lookboonmee vs Istela Nunes (Women’s Strawweight)
Uran Satybaldiev vs Martin Buday (Heavyweight)
Vanessa Demopoulos vs Talita Alencar (Women’s Strawweight)
Brad Tavares vs Gerald Meerschaert Prediction
Brad Tavares returns to action at UFC on ESPN 65 in Vegas looking to snap a miserable run of results in the Octagon. He has lost four of his last five with his only victory coming against a declining Chris Weidman and two of the losses were knockouts which has to be a major concern. Last time out, he lost a split decision to Park Jun-yong and he is arguably fighting for his UFC career here.
He comes up against Gerald Meerschaert who is always a tricky customer as one of the best submission specialists in the UFC. The relief for Tavares will be the fact he hardly possesses any knockout power and Tavares has never been submitted in his career.
Meerschaert comes off a submission loss at the hands of Reinier de Ridder but he had won both of his two previous fights in 2024 against Bryan Barbarena and Edmen Shahbazyan. Even at the age of 37, Meerschaert remains incredibly active and he will be fired up to get back to winning ways here.
We could very well see this fight becoming something of a stalemate given the fact that Tavares is strong at defending submissions. 18 of his 30 fights have gone the distance and with neither fighter possessing much in the way of knockout power, this fight is going the distance.
Prediction: Fight to go the distance
