Anderson Silva no longer holds the record for the most finishes in UFC middleweight history.
The MMA legend's record was broken by Gerald Meerschaert at Saturday's UFC on ESPN 62 card in Las Vegas. Meerschaert was previously tied with Silva for the most finishes in middleweight history, at 11, but took the first-place spot for himself with a submission win over former Ronda Rousey training partner Edmen Shahbazyan.
“I’ve had cleaner performances, but what fun is it if you don’t get punched in the face a few times?” Meerschaert said at the UFC on ESPN 62 post-fight press conference, breaking down his win over Shahbazyan (via MMA Junkie). “As long as I’m awake, I’ve got a chance to win. I pretty much blocked everything and just had to weather the storm a little bit, found my way out.
“I know if I’m still awake, there’s a way for me to win. You’ve got to put me 6 feet under before I’m gonna stop fighting.”
Meerschaert has been competing in the UFC since 2016. His record with the promotion stands at decent but not overly impressive 12-9. While he has a handful of knockout wins on his MMA record, 11 of 12 finishes in the UFC middleweight division have come by way of submission. He currently has the third-most submissions in the promotion's history, tied with submission ace Demian Maia, just behind Jim Miller, and closing in on record-holder Charles Oliveira, who has sixteen submission in the Octagon.
As for beating Silva's record, Meerschaert it admitted it's a cool accomplishment, but didn't give too much weight to it.
“It’s cool to say," Meerschaert said. "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...
“It’s a cool thing to say for now and then when I’m retired it’ll be fun to tell my kids and watch them not care.”
Silva, who held the UFC middleweight title for many years and is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, was dangerous on the mat, but was primarily a striker, and delivered some of the most memorable knockouts in MMA history.
He left the UFC in 2020, following a stoppage loss to Uriah Hall, so he won't be challenging Meerschaert's new record.
The Brazilian has competed in four boxing matches since, defeating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz, losing to Jake Paul, and battling his MMA rival Chael Sonnen to a draw.
