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Reinier de Ridder wasted no time in establishing himself as a serious middleweight contender in his UFC debut, securing a submission victory over former teammate and UFC submission record-holder Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 100. The former two-division ONE champion showcased his grappling prowess in a back-and-forth fight ending with de Ridder's expert ground game in the third round. At 1:44 in Round 3, de Ridder cinched in an arm-triangle choke, forcing Meerschaert to tap out and securing a memorable win in his UFC introduction.
The bout opened with de Ridder engaging in a striking exchange with Meerschaert before swiftly moving to a well-timed takedown. Though Meerschaert quickly scrambled back to his feet, the battle moved to a more technical ground game where both fighters displayed impressive skills. Meerschaert’s striking showed early effectiveness, landing a few sharp punches and a solid lead jab, but de Ridder countered effectively with a punishing elbow and a left hand that dropped Meerschaert briefly to the canvas near the end of the first round.
In the second round, de Ridder began to impose his grappling will, initiating a sequence that nearly set up a D’arce choke. However, Meerschaert displayed his resilience, escaping and landing on top during a scramble. Unshaken, de Ridder used his long limbs to maintain defensive control and soon reversed the position with a takedown, keeping Meerschaert under pressure. This set the stage for the final round, where de Ridder’s conditioning and control became evident.
As Round 3 commenced, de Ridder executed a smooth inside trip to take Meerschaert to the mat again. This time, he quickly transitioned to mount, locking in the fight-ending arm-triangle choke. Meerschaert, running low on stamina, had no option but to submit. Reflecting on the win, de Ridder playfully said,
“I think Gerald Meerschaert’d Gerald Meerschaert, so thank you, Gerald,” acknowledging the satisfaction of submitting a fellow grappler in his debut.
With this victory, de Ridder has officially entered the UFC middleweight scene with a 1-0 record and a clear message: he’s here to make waves in the division by taking out seasoned contenders like Meerschaert.
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