UFC Fight Night 102 results: Newcomer Gerald Meerschaert smooth in first-round tapout of Joe Gigliotti

ALBANY, N.Y. – UFC newcomer Gerald Meerschaert pulled off a nifty transition to secure his first octagon victory.

Meerschaert (25-8 MMA, 1-0 UFC) threatened Joe Gigliotti (7-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) with a guillotine choke only to turn it into an anaconda choke, forcing a tap late in the first round.

The middleweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

The fight was over at the 4:12 mark of the opening frame when Gigliotti was forced to submit, marking his second UFC loss in as many tries.

Meerschaert secured the choke by attacking Gigliotti’s neck, which he did earlier in the round after struggling to land punches. Gigliotti did a good job getting out of the way of most of the shots, but Meerschaert was no slouch in the grappling department, landing knees to the head after securing the headlock.

Gigliotti’s luck wasn’t much better on the mat, as he missed an attempt to take the back in the scramble and wound up tossed to the mat. Meerschaert took a position at his back and then effortlessly transitioned to the guillotine, prompting a roll that gave him the opportunity to switch chokes.

After five straight decisions, Meerschaert put the first finish on the card and submitted a ballot for a performance bonus.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 102 results include:

• Gerald Meerschaert def. Joe Gigliotti via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 4:12
• Andrew Sanchez def. Trevor Smith via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Shane Burgos def. Tiago Trator via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27)
• Marc Diakiese def. Frankie Perez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ryan Janes def. Keith Berish via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Juliana Lima def. J.J. Aldrich via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 102, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this report on site in Albany.)