Gerald Meerschaert Now Holds Title Last Held by Anderson Silva

Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

UFC Vegas 96 was held at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Alongside Meerschaert, headliners Caio Borralho and Jared Cannonier , as well as Michael Morales, were also awarded bonuses. Borralho and Cannonier earned Fight of the Night honors for their intense five-round battle, which Borralho won by unanimous decision. Morales claimed the other Performance of the Night bonus for his first-round knockout of Neil Magny. Each of the four fighters received an additional $50,000 for their performances.

Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Following his win, Meerschaert reflected on his record-breaking achievement, saying, “It’s cool to say. You know what I mean? I don’t think about it much right now. It’s just kind of one fight at a time. I wish I could give you more than that, because it is a cool thing. Truthfully, if I sit here and stop to give myself a little pat on the back, that’s awesome just to have my name in the same conversation or sentence as somebody like Anderson Silva or Demian Maia. That’s great, but I’ve got a lot of fight left in me. I’ve got a lot more fights to go. When I hang them up, though, that’ll be a cool thing to throw around. …” (via MMAJunkie).

Despite the record, Meerschaert is clearly focused on continuing his momentum rather than resting on his accolades.