BOUTSCOUT
Matchup deep-dive

Gerald Meerschaert vs.
Reinier de Ridder

Two full careers, measured against each man's own division and against each other — the tape, the read, and every number behind them.

12-14-0 Gerald Meerschaert · UFC
4-2-0 Reinier de Ridder · UFC
Tale of the tape

The men, measured.

Frame, age, layoff and recent form — green marks the edge on each line.

12-14-0
UFC record
4-2-0
Middleweight
Division (benchmark)
Middleweight
38
AgeΔ 3 yrs
35
6'1"
HeightΔ 3"
6'4"
77"
ReachΔ 1"
78"
Southpaw
Stance
Southpaw
3.2
Layoff (months)Δ 1.8 mo
5
LLLLL
Last 5 (newest first)
LLWWW
The read

What the numbers say.

Scouting notes, auto-generated — only stats deviating more than 25% from the division median make this list. No narratives, just deviations.

Gerald Meerschaert is a submission threat — 1.49 attempts per 15 minutes, vs a 0.47 Middleweight norm.
Reinier de Ridder hunts takedowns — 2.56 per 15 minutes, vs a 1.42 Middleweight norm.
Reinier de Ridder owns the mat — in control 34% of cage time, vs a 20% Middleweight norm.
Level of competition

Who did they actually beat?

Full-career records re-graded by the tier of opposition — the same grading the Contender Series pick model uses. Records built on tier-4 competition are worth less than records built on killers.

Gerald Meerschaert

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 1214
Tier 2 — LFA / Cage Warriors (feeder belts) 10
Tier 3 — regional circuit 248

Tier-weighted record quality: 0.67 · 13 tier-1/2 wins · 35 finish wins over 59 documented bouts

In the UFC: 7-9 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +1.2 wins over .500

Reinier de Ridder

Competition tierWL
Tier 1 — UFC / DWCS / PFL / Bellator / ONE / Rizin 114
Tier 3 — regional circuit 100

Tier-weighted record quality: 1.61 · 11 tier-1/2 wins · 18 finish wins over 25 documented bouts

In the UFC: 4-2 against opponents who walked in above .500 · avg opponent walk-in record +6.2 wins over .500

Striking

The stand-up battle.

Career totals; norms are the medians of each man's own division.

Significant strikes — landed & absorbed

6522.95/min · norm 3.25
Sig. strikes landed
2032.47/min · norm 3.25
7603.44/min · norm 3.20
Sig. strikes absorbed
1942.36/min · norm 3.20
45.1%norm 47.4%
Striking accuracy
48.6%norm 47.4%
53.6%norm 53.8%
Striking defense
46.8%norm 53.8%
30.20/15 · norm 0.32
Knockdowns
20.37/15 · norm 0.32

Where the fight happens (share of sig. strike attempts)

Gerald Meerschaert

Distance 87.4% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 6.7% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 5.9% (norm 10.3%)

Reinier de Ridder

Distance 84.4% (norm 79.4%) · Clinch 8.6% (norm 9.1%) · Ground 6.9% (norm 10.3%)

What they throw (share of sig. strike attempts by target)

Gerald Meerschaert

Head 85.8% (norm 78.0%) · Body 9.5% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 4.7% (norm 8.4%)

Reinier de Ridder

Head 73.4% (norm 78.0%) · Body 21.8% (norm 13.4%) · Legs 4.8% (norm 8.4%)

Zone accuracy matrix Landed / attempted by zone

Green ≥ division median, red below. UFCStats tracks position and target as separate splits.

Zone Meerschaert L/AAccMiddleweight med Ridder L/AAccMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 527 / 1265 41.7% 40.5% 154 / 353 43.6% 40.5%
In the clinch 67 / 97 69.1% 70.3% 31 / 36 86.1% 70.3%
On the ground 58 / 85 68.2% 69.1% 18 / 29 62.1% 69.1%
BY TARGET
To the head 477 / 1241 38.4% 38.9% 121 / 307 39.4% 38.9%
To the body 112 / 138 81.2% 71.7% 65 / 91 71.4% 71.7%
To the legs 63 / 68 92.6% 83.3% 17 / 20 too few to rate 83.3%

Zones with fewer than 25 attempts are marked "too few to rate". Each fighter is measured against the median of leaderboard-eligible fighters in his own division (Middleweight: 174 fighters · Middleweight: 174 fighters).

What lands on them Opponents' accuracy against each man

Green ≤ division median — harder to hit than the typical man in his division.

Zone vs Meerschaert L/AOpp accMiddleweight med vs Ridder L/AOpp accMiddleweight med
BY POSITION
At distance 525 / 1271 41.3% 39.5% 133 / 286 46.5% 39.5%
In the clinch 48 / 70 68.6% 70.9% 14 / 18 too few to rate 70.9%
On the ground 187 / 297 63.0% 69.0% 47 / 61 77.0% 69.0%
BY TARGET
To the head 531 / 1344 39.5% 37.9% 152 / 307 49.5% 37.9%
To the body 144 / 192 75.0% 71.3% 24 / 38 63.2% 71.3%
To the legs 85 / 102 83.3% 82.1% 18 / 20 too few to rate 82.1%
Grappling

The ground war.

Takedowns, control and submissions — career totals with each man's per-minute rates against his division norm.

2529.4% acc · 1.70/15 · norm 1.42
Takedowns landed
1429.2% acc · 2.56/15 · norm 1.42
1840.0% def · norm 63.1%
Takedowns stopped
240.0% def · norm 63.1%
49:2322.4% of cage time · norm 19.75%
Control time
28:0034.1% of cage time · norm 19.75%
48:463:18 per 15 · norm 3:00
Time under control
20:243:43 per 15 · norm 3:00
221.49/15 · norm 0.47
Submission attempts
30.55/15 · norm 0.47

Bars compare the two men's rates (per-minute / per-15 figures), not raw totals — Meerschaert has more cage time on record.

Next move

Let the engine settle it.