Gerald Meerschaert Retires After UFC Vegas 122 KO Loss to Julius Walker

Gerald Meerschaert called it a career Saturday night, pulling off his gloves inside the Octagon after Julius Walker stopped him with second-round strikes in the prelim headliner at UFC Vegas 122. It was fight number 60 for "GM3" and his 27th UFC walk — a sample size most fighters never come close to touching.

The night was lopsided from the jump. Walker battered Meerschaert on the feet, banked a 10-8 opening round from one judge, then finished the job from top position in the second. The defeat made it six losses in a row, and Meerschaert chose that moment to step away for good, closing out a run that leaves him 12-15 inside the promotion.

A Submission Specialist Who Earned His Place in the Books

Here's the part the scoreboard won't tell you: Meerschaert retires as the most prolific finisher in UFC middleweight history, with 12 stoppages to his name. He's also tied with Demian Maia for the most submission wins in the division at 11 — elite company for a guy who spent his career grinding on cards like this one rather than headlining pay-per-views.

His MMA ledger reflects the risk he took on every booking. The broadcast put his overall record at 32-23, a mark built on volume and a willingness to fight anyone. That kind of activity cuts both ways — plenty of highlight-reel submissions, plenty of nights where the math simply didn't add up.

No Regrets, One What-If

In his post-fight chat with Michael Bisping, Meerschaert said he'd had a hell of a run and set a few records along the way. He floated one regret — that he might have tested the waters at 205 earlier, before conceding the guys up there are just too big. He framed the exit as a practical one: good opportunities waiting, a family to provide for, and the knowledge that nobody fights forever.

Walker, meanwhile, gets the biggest scalp of his young run by sending a veteran into retirement. For Meerschaert, the ending stings, but the body of work doesn't — two division records and a career that outlasted most of his peers is a hard thing to argue with.