Joe Pyfer and Gerald Meerschaert set for grappling match less than two months after their fight

In the world of the UFC, even rematches that the fans crave often take time to put together, but that isn’t the case for middleweight contenders Joe Pyfer and Gerald Meerschaert.

The two men faced off at UFC 287 on April 8, with Pyfer scoring an impressive first round knockout over Meerschaert. The win was Pyfer’s second in the octagon, following his stoppage of Alen Amedovski in 2022.

Now, it has been announced that the two men will be squaring off again this weekend, just seven weeks after their previous bout. However, while their clash will air on UFC Fight Pass, it will not take place inside the octagon. Instead, ‘Bodybagz’ will look to defeat Meerschaert for the second time in a grappling match.

The clash, which is being advertised as a No-Gi Superfight, will take place at the Fury Pro Grappling 7 event at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Interestingly, the grappling match is also being advertised as taking place at a weight limit of 210lbs, some 25lbs over the 185lbs middleweight limit the two men fought at in April.

The bout will mark Meerschaert’s debut on the Fury Grappling mat, while Pyfer competed at the promotion’s last event in December, defeating fellow UFC star Eryk Anders.

Fury Pro Grappling 7 has three other bouts advertised for this weekend, including one involving current UFC middleweight contender Andre Petroski.

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Joe Pyfer vs. Gerald Meerschaert: did Dana White really buy Joe Pyfer a house?

Joe Pyfer has been part of the UFC’s roster since last July. ‘Bodybagz’ earned his contract with the promotion after defeating opponent Ozzy Diaz on the 6th season of Dana White’s Contender Series and impressing the onlooking UFC president.

Watch Pyfer knock out Diaz below.

Interestingly, the bout with Diaz was Pyfer’s second on DWCS, as his first shot there saw him suffer a dislocated elbow in a 2020 clash with Dustin Stoltzfus.

Since arriving in the UFC proper, it’s clear that Pyfer has earned the favour of Dana White. Following his debut win over Alen Amedovski last year, ‘Bodybagz’ took to the microphone and paid tribute to the UFC president.

“Thank you to Dana White. That man gave me cash on the side and a place to live for the next year...”

Watch Pyfer’s interview below.

It was later reported that White had given Pyfer enough money to pay his rent for a year. This situation was also discussed by White in an interview after the event. The UFC head honcho said the following, garnering plenty of praise from fans online:

“I do a lot of things for a lot of people that I don’t necessarily talk about. Joe Pyfer, when I left the press conference that night, he told me he was about to be homeless. So, that ain’t gonna happen.”

Watch Dana White discuss Joe Pyfer below.