Bruno Silva vs. Gerald Meerschaert Prediction, Picks, Odds: Will This Fight Finish Fast?

Bruno Silva vs. Gerald Meerschaert Prediction, Picks, Odds: Will This Fight Finish Fast?

Start Time, Where To Watch, and Odds

• When: Saturday, August 13, 2022
• Time: 4:00 PM EDT
• Where: Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California
• Where to Watch: ESPN, ESPN+

Click Here For Bruno Silva vs. Gerald Meerschaert Odds

Gerald Meerschaert and Bruno Silva will meet inside the octagon in an ultimate clash of styles. The middleweights differ heavily in fight style, as Bruno Silva is a striker through and through, and Gerald Meerschaert is a grappler by nature. How will their styles play out tonight?

Bruno Silva vs. Gerald Meerschaert Prediction

I expect this fight to go longer than most people think. The over/under is set at 1.5, and it is plus-odds to go over that. This is because the books and most people expect Silva to knock Meerschaert out in the first round because of his excellent striking. Let's not forget, however, that Meerschaert is more durable than most people give him credit for. Meerschaert has been knocked out just three times in 49 professional MMA fights. One of those was from Khamzat Chimaev, and another was from prime Thiago Santos. Bruno Silva is a powerful striker, but he is not Thiago Santos or Khamzat Chimaev, and so I expect Meerschaert to be able to hold his own for at least seven minutes and thirty seconds.

This fight will most likely end inside the distance, but I feel like the first round will be a feeling-out process. Meerschaert knows Silva has massive power, so he will likely move around the perimeter of the octagon and stay at range to pick his opportunities to shoot in and grapple. Meerschaert could end up submitting Silva, after all, he has 26 of his 34 wins by submission, and Silva has five of his seven losses by submission. Silva is not comfortable against top-level grapplers yet, so I wouldn't be surprised if Meerschaert could pull off the upset, but if it happens, it will happen later in the fight. Meerschaert doesn't usually get his submissions in the first round, as he likes to settle into fights a bit more.

I think this line is off. Meerschaert is a durable fighter, as much as he has been finished before. He only gets finished by top-tier fighters, and Silva may be that in the future, but he isn't at this point. I expect Meerschaert to start slow, as usual, and use the first round as a feeling-out process. Whoever wins this one, I think it's a late second-round or third-round finish. Take the value with the over.

Bruno Silva vs. Gerald Meerschaert Pick

• Over 1.5 Rounds (+105) (Bet $105 to win $105)

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