Jacob Malkoun is set to face Gerald Meerschaert in a three-round middleweight bout on the prelims of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. The matchup lands at a sharp edge for both men: Malkoun is riding two straight UFC wins, while Meerschaert came in four pounds over the middleweight limit and will still compete after forfeiting 30 percent of his purse.
Malkoun enters as the card’s largest favorite at -1600, with Meerschaert listed at +900. The Australian is 9-3 with three knockouts, and five of his previous six wins have gone to decision. Ryan Wohl backed Malkoun to win by decision at +225, a call that fits the pattern of a fighter who has leaned more on control and grind than finish power.
The numbers point to a familiar style clash. Malkoun averages 4.55 significant strikes per minute and 5.81 takedowns per 15 minutes, while Meerschaert averages 3.01 significant strikes and 1.82 takedowns over the same span. Meerschaert also brings the physical edge, standing 6’1″ to Malkoun’s 5’9″ and holding a 77-inch reach to 73 inches. But the size advantage has not stopped the market from siding heavily with the fighter who returned at UFC 325 in January and beat Torrez Finney after a two-year hiatus from MMA.
That return matters because Malkoun’s current run has been built quickly after a long break, while Meerschaert, a 10-year UFC veteran, is making the 59th walk of his professional MMA career. The veteran has lost four straight and last won against Edmen Shahbazyan in August 2024, which only sharpens the pressure on a fighter who now has to make a bad weigh-in matter little in the cage.
The tension in this bout is simple. Malkoun has the momentum, the betting support and the cleaner recent form. Meerschaert has the experience and the longer frame, but he also has the weight miss, the losing streak and the burden of trying to reset a slide that has stretched back nearly two years. On Saturday night in Perth, the bout is less about who survives to the final horn and more about whether Malkoun can turn a lopsided favorite’s status into another controlled win.