Julius Walker vs. Gerald Meerschaert
UFC Fight Night · October 10, 2026 · Meta Apex · Main Card 8:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Size and power vs. submission craft
- Finish likelihood
- High
- The line
- No line posted yet
- The stakes
- Light Heavyweight · Main Card
The read
This is a desperation fight for both men, and that usually means fireworks.
Walker's hands have ended fights early all career, but Meerschaert has made a living finding submissions against far more decorated strikers, even at a size disadvantage.
Expect an aggressive, finish-heavy fight with real roster-spot stakes for both corners.
The matchup
Meerschaert's move up to light heavyweight is as much about finding a reset as it is about size, and it pits one of the UFC's most prolific submission artists against a finisher on his own two-fight skid.
Walker's knockout power is the clearest danger for Meerschaert if the fight stays standing, while Meerschaert's 29 career submission wins mean any scramble or clinch is live for him regardless of the extra weight.
Both men enter in genuine jeopardy of a release with a loss.
Tale of the tape
| 7-3 | Record | 37-22 |
| 27 | Age | 38 |
| 6'4" | Height | 6'1" |
| 78" | Reach | 77" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Southpaw |
| United States | Country | United States |
| Team Fusion | Team | Roufusport |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Julius Walker 7-3
“Juice Box”
Julius Walker is a 27-year-old American light heavyweight out of Springfield, Missouri, a former Drury University basketball player turned finisher with four of his seven career wins coming by knockout. He has dropped two straight, an eight-second knockout loss to Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev at UFC Baku the most recent, after a second-round finish of Dustin Jacoby in February 2026. He now meets veteran Gerald Meerschaert, who is moving up from middleweight for this matchup.
- LAbdul Rakhman Yakhyaev · KO/TKOUFC Baku · June 27, 2026
- WDustin Jacoby · KO/TKOUFC Vegas 113 · February 7, 2026
- WRafael Cerqueira · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night · August 9, 2025
Gerald Meerschaert 37-22
“GM3”
Gerald "GM3" Meerschaert is a 38-year-old American veteran out of Milwaukee training at Roufusport, a submission specialist with 11 UFC submission wins — one of only five fighters in UFC history to reach double digits there — on top of 29 submission wins across his full MMA career. He has dropped five straight at middleweight, most recently a decision loss to Jacob Malkoun in May 2026, and now moves up to light heavyweight to face fellow finisher Julius Walker in a bout that likely decides which man keeps his roster spot.
- LJacob Malkoun · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night · May 2, 2026
- LKyle Daukaus · Submission (D'Arce choke)UFC Fight Night · November 15, 2025
- LMichal Oleksiejczuk · KO/TKOUFC Fight Night · August 16, 2025