UFC Fight Night 247: Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier De Ridder Prediction for Tomorrow, 11/09/24

The third fight on the Main Card at UFC Fight Night 247 will see Gerald Meerschaert take on Reinier De Ridder. This will be a fight in the UFC Middleweight division. Meerschaert enters this fight with an MMA record of 37-17 and he is 12-9 in the UFC. He averages 3.13 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 45%. Meerschaert absorbs 3.47 strikes and has a striking defense of 53%. His grappling has also been elite, averaging 2.14 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.6 submission attempts during the same period. His takedown accuracy is 36% and his takedown defense is 34%.

De Ridder enters this fight with an MMA record of 17-2 and this will be his UFC debut. He has won 4 times by KO/TKO, 11 times by submission, and 2 times by decision. Both his losses have been by KO/TKO.

De Ridder is the overwhelming favorite but given that this is his UFC debut, backing him to win is too risky. Instead, we will be looking at this fight to end inside the distance. De Ridder has seen 17 of his 19 career fights end inside the distance, while Meerschaert has seen 47 of his 54 career fights do the same. Because both fighters have had a very high finish rate, backing this fight to end inside the distance will be our play.