UFC on ESPN 41: Bruno Silva vs. Gerald Meerschaert Picks and Predictions

Bruno Silva and Gerald Meerschaert face off on Saturday in a middleweight bout on the main card of UFC on ESPN 41 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

Bruno Silva comes into this game with a 22-7 record overall and he had won three games in a row before losing his last fight against Alex Pereira. Silva was outstruck 108-59 and that led to the unanimous decision loss. Two fights ago against Jordan Wright, Silva got out to a fast start and finished the fight by knockout just over a minute into the fight. Silva is averaging 4.94 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 4.79 significant strikes per minute. He is averaging 0.89 takedowns every 15 minutes and is successful on 18 percent of his takedown attempts. He also stops 68 percent of his opponents takedown attempts. All three of Silva’s fights inside the UFC have been knockout. 

On the other side of this matchup is Gerald Meerschaert who sits with a 34-15 record overall and he has won three of his last four fights. In Meerschaert’s last fight against Krzysztof Jotko in April of 2022 he was outstruck 65-37 and lost by unanimous decision. Meerschaert is averaging 3.04 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.53 significant strikes per minute. He is averaging 2.25 takedowns every 15 minutes and is successful on 40 percent of the attempts. He also stops 29 percent of his opponents takedown attempts. Meeerchaert is an elite submission artist and all he needs is a slight opening to lock in a submission and finish the fight.