Former LFA champ Eryk Anders will return to the octagon at UFC Tampa this October, opposite Gerald Meerschaert.
Eryk Anders is set to return to the cage against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Tampa on October 12. The fight takes place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida and will stream live on ESPN+. News of the pairing was first reported by the UFC Unfiltered podcast. Cageside Press was able to confirm the bout with a source close to the situation; the fight was later confirmed by Meerschaert on social media.
Eryk Anders (12-4), a former University of Alabama football player, will attempt to get his first win streak since dropping a close fight to Loyoto Machida in early 2018. Anders won his next fight but dropped three straight, including light heavyweight bouts to Thiago Santos and Khalil Rountree Jr.
Gerald Meerschaert (29–11) is coming off a win as well, beating Trevin Giles at UFC Newark on August 3. Meerschaert looks to add Anders to his resume of names to bolster his shot at the top 15 as well. A win over Anders would certainly improve that case.
The fight between Anders and Meerschaert is a classic striker versus grappler matchup. Anders has had a slew of slugfests, including his bout with Thiago Santos. Gerald Meerschaert has 10 recorded submissions to his name.
Building UFC Tampa
UFC Tampa was originally slated to take place in San Francisco before the UFC decided to move it cross country. The card is headlined by former strawweight champion, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, who takes on fan favorite, Michelle Waterson, AKA The Karate Hottie. Also on the card is a stellar match-up between veteran Cub Swanson and MMA newcomer, Kron Gracie. Swanson is on the worst skid of his career, dropping four straight fights. He looks to use his experience to defeat the 5-0 Gracie.
Also fighting at UFC Tampa is Mackenzie Dern. Dern takes on Amanda Ribas in her return to the octagon since May of 2018. Deiveson Figueiredo also makes his return in a dynamite flyweight fight with Tim Elliott.
