How Gerald Meerschaert went about 'exploding' Eric Spicely's liver with shin at TUF 26 Finale

LAS VEGAS – Gerald Meerschaert noticed The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale opponent Eric Spicely was taking his shots to the head quite well. So Meerschaert came to a conclusion.

“He’s got a pretty tough chin,” Meerschaert said after the main-card bout, which aired on FS1 from Park Theater in Las Vegas. “It usually works one way or the other, right? Either you’ve got a tough chin and a weak body. Or you’ve got a weak body and a tough chin.”

Whether or not you agree with Meerschaert’s (27-9 MMA, 3-1 UFC) logic, the fact is that his strategy paid off. After some trouble in the first round, thanks to his opponent’s notoriously dangerous grappling, the second frame saw Meerschaert’s striking prowess shine until a liver kick had Spicely (10-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) folded onto the canvas.

The kick wasn’t just a lucky blow; Meerschaert looked to overload his opponent’s senses with numerous leg attacks. When an earlier body kick had Spicely wilting, Meerschaert got the opening he needed to proceed “exploding his liver with my shin.”

“The kick was just there and I knew I wasn’t going to get taken down off it,”  Meerschaert said. “And I know I’ve landed that body kick on a lot of good guys, a lot of times. I know if I can get that shin across your liver, it’s going to do some damage.

“Once I saw it open, I was like, ‘I’m going to make you (expletive) your pants. Or you’re going to quit. Something’s going to happen. Either way, it’s going to be awesome.'”

Granted, the kick probably wasn’t as awesome for fellow middleweight Spicely, who’s now on a two-fight losing skid. But it worked out pretty well for the viewers and for Meerschaert, who got a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus out of it.

Meerschaert, who wasn’t yet aware of the post-fight bonus by the time he talked to reporters, is probably not mad about the extra money But, coming off a knockout setback to Thiago Santos into what was the last bout of his UFC contract, a finish over Spicely had him pretty happy already.

“Every fight is important, but especially that,” Meerschaert said. “I’m coming off a loss. We each have wins over coming opponents, but he beat the last guy I fought. So getting a finish on him looks really good on my resume. Like I said, the UFC is my home.

“I want to stay here the rest of my career. And I’m here to put on exciting fights and fight the toughest guys I can.”

To hear from Meerschaert, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.