Julius Walker Stops Gerald Meerschaert with Second-Round TKO in UFC Vegas
Julius Walker kept relentless pressure on Gerald Meerschaert to secure a second-round TKO at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Duncan. The light heavyweight bout took place Saturday night at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas and ended at 3:35 of Round 2 when the referee stopped the action during a sustained ground assault.
Meerschaert entered his 60th professional fight after moving up from middleweight. The 38-year-old had dropped six consecutive bouts, including a unanimous decision loss to Jacob Malkoun in May, and had not won since submitting Edmen Shahbazyan in August 2024. A longtime UFC veteran known for his submission game, he faced a younger, more athletic opponent in Walker while competing at 205 pounds for the first time.
Walker, 27, arrived seeking to rebound from consecutive stoppage losses. He was knocked out in eight seconds by Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev in June and suffered a second-round TKO against Dustin Jacoby earlier in the year. His lone UFC win came via unanimous decision over Rafael Cerqueira in August 2025. The size and power advantage belonged clearly to the six-foot-four light heavyweight.
Walker controlled the first round with clinch work and takedowns. He escaped an armbar attempt, regained top position, and landed punches and elbows while setting up an arm-triangle that Meerschaert survived. The veteran returned to guard, but Walker finished the round in control. In the second round, Walker pressed Meerschaert to the fence, landed knees, and executed another trip takedown into half guard.
From there, Walker mixed elbows and punches while shutting down escape attempts. Meerschaert briefly stood and landed body shots, but Walker immediately took him down again. A flurry of unanswered punches with Meerschaert covering up forced the referee to intervene at 3:35. Walker improved to 8-3 overall, while Meerschaert closed his career at 37-23.
Immediately after the stoppage, Meerschaert removed his gloves and announced his retirement. “I’ve had a good run,” he said while reflecting on records set and the money earned for his family. “Can’t fight forever.” Walker then took the microphone, addressed mental health, and noted that the mother of his daughter had recently passed while sharing plans to take his daughter to Disneyland.
The finish provides Walker with a much-needed win after two early defeats in 2026. Competing against a durable but aging veteran allowed him to showcase wrestling and ground-and-pound in a one-sided performance. For Meerschaert, the decision to retire after 60 professional fights ends a decade-long UFC tenure that included multiple Performance of the Night bonuses and notable submission victories.
Walker’s second-round TKO should help stabilize his position on the UFC roster as he continues to develop at light heavyweight. Meerschaert exits the sport after a lengthy career built on toughness and grappling, closing the book on one of the division’s most consistent middleweight veterans.
