Gerald Meerschaert vs Reinier de Ridder at UFC Fight Night 247 | Preview & Prediction
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Former ONE middleweight champion Reinier de Ridder has joined the UFC and the Dutchman makes his debut in the Octagon against veteran Gerald Meerschaert
Gerald Meerschaert vs Reinier de Ridder Facts
When is UFC Fight Night 247? UK – the preliminary card starts at 9:00pm on Saturday November 9th 2024, followed by the main card at 12:00am (Sunday) / USA – 4:00pm/7:00pm ET and 1:00pm/4:00pm PT
Where is UFC Fight Night 247? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 247? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 247
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 247 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 247? 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 Fight Night 247 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Gerald Meerschaert and Reinier de Ridder expected to walk out? 1.15am UK / 8.15pm US ET / 5.15pm US PT
UFC Fight Night 247 Main Card
Neil Magny vs Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
Ricky Turcios vs Bernardo Sopaj (Bantamweight)
Gerald Meerschaert vs Reinier de Ridder (Middleweight)
Luana Pinheiro vs Gillian Robertson (Women’s Strawweight)
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Dusko Todorovic (Middleweight)
UFC Fight Night 247 Prelims
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Denise Gomes (Women’s Strawweight)
Gaston Bolanos vs Cortavious Romious (Bantamweight)
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs Zach Scroggin (Welterweight)
Matthew Semelsberger vs Charles Radtke (Welterweight)
Cody Stamann vs Da'Mon Blackshear (Bantamweight)
Tresean Gore vs Antonio Trocoli (Middleweight)
Melissa Mullins vs Klaudia Sygula (Women’s Bantamweight)
Gerald Meerschaert: 54-fight vet looks to upset newcomer to UFC
UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert (37-17) is showing that age is no barrier as the 36-year-old is coming off back-to-back wins in the Octagon. The submission specialist stopped Bryan Barbarena and then Edmen Shahbazyan in a Performance of the Night display, and now he looks for his third victory of 2024. 29 of his 37 wins have come via submission and even at this stage of his career, he remains incredibly dangerous.
Reinier de Ridder: Ex-ONE champ making long-awaited UFC debut
Reinier de Ridder (17-2) joins the UFC after a long stint in the ONE organisation and he will now look to make his mark in the Octagon. A former two-division champion at middleweight and light heavyweight in his previous organisation, De Ridder has only ever lost to one fight – Anatoly Malykhin – and it will be interesting to see how he finds the quality of opponent in the UFC now.
Gerald Meerschaert vs Reinier de Ridder Prediction
We can expect to see some high-level jiu-jitsu on show in this bout as Gerald Meerschaert looks to spoil a UFC newcomer’s debut, while Reinier de Ridder is looking to make a splash in his first fight in the Octagon.
Many have come across to the UFC and even found the mid-range fighters to be a challenge and it will be interesting to see how De Ridders fares here. There is a fair amount of pressure on him coming into this one but he has been involved in enough big fights to handle that.
De Ridder should be equipped to handle Meerschaert’s skillset. He has some knockout power and he will certainly look to get his striking going but not at the expense of being taken down by Meerschaert.
It is hard to see the fireworks he is promising against a fighter like Meerschaert and while we think he has more routes to victory, it could well go to the scorecards.
Prediction: Reinier de Ridder to win by submission or decision