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After 60 pro cage fights, Gerald Meershaert is retiring from the UFC.<\/p>\n
The 38-year-old Meershaert lost to Julius Walker at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Duncan last night, his sixth loss in a row in the UFC. That was enough for the middleweight fighter: he took his gloves off in the cage and retired in a touching speech with Michael Bisping.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve had a good run, Michael,\u201d Meerschaert said. \u201cI set a couple records, I\u2019ve did some things. Maybe 205, I should have done that a little earlier, but them boys are big up there, you know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t fight forever,\u201d he continued. \u201cI\u2019ve got some good opportunities to make money for my family and make a good living. I\u2019ve had a hell of a time out here to perform for you guys. I can\u2019t think of a better job. I\u2019m going to miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meerschaert quietly amassed some impressive UFC records, including most finishes at middleweight (12) and most submission finishes (11).<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been fighting since 2007,\u201d he said at the post-fight press conference. \u201cI spent half my career in the UFC. I got 60 professional fights and a bunch more that aren\u2019t even on the books. I fought when head butts were legal. I\u2019m getting too old for this stuff. This will probably be it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019d hope a guy with 27 UFC fights would be able to retire from fighting and never work again, but Meerschaert will be moving into the lucrative HVAC world following his hanging up of the gloves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know exactly what I\u2019m going to be doing after this and it has nothing to do with fighting,\u201d he said. \u201cUnlike most of my peers, I\u2019ve got a pretty good head on my shoulders. I\u2019m going to do some stuff more in the corporate setting and make my money that way. I\u2019ll get to work in air conditioning now and get to have all my clothes on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a real big change of pace for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meerschaert may have had a limited skillset, but was one of those guys who always showed up ready and willing to upset anyone who didn\u2019t take him seriously. It was a hell of a ten year run with the UFC, and we wish him all the best in his new career path.<\/p>\n