Whether or not [autotag]Ian Heinisch [/autotag] was looking to make a statement Saturday night, one was made – and in a definitive manner, to boot.
Heinisch went the full 15 minutes in each of his first four UFC fights, splitting wins and losses But Heinisch didn’t waste any time in his UFC 250 bout against [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]. The Colorado native was both aggressive and precise in earning a TKO win in just 74 seconds.
Heinisch, who has switched up his training to Thailand, where he worked out prior to the coronavirus pandemic, showed his newfound aggressiveness right off the bat.
ROCKED LIKE A HURRICANE! ⛈@IanHeinischMMA with a storm of punches to end the night!
📺 We're rolling on @ESPN. pic.twitter.com/1XbkKHIt7E
— UFC (@ufc) June 7, 2020
Heinisch (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) threw low kicks from the outset, then made a level change to which Meerschaert (31-13 MMA, 6-5 UFC) committed. He dropped his hands, and Heinisch changed up with an expertly thrown overhand right that dropped his opponent. From there, Heinisch landed right hands, and when Meerschaert pivoted to his hands and knees, Heinisch opened up with lefts and rights until the bout was waved off.
“The whole mantra of this fight was movement, kicks, and set up that right hand,” Heinisch said.
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Heinisch’s fifth career KO/TKO snapped a two-fight losing streak, while Meerschaert has now dropped two of three.
The middleweight bout was part of the UFC 250 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+ ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 250 results include:
- Ian Heinisch def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 1:14
- Cody Stamann def. Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Maki Pitolo def. Charles Byrd via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:10
- Alex Perez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 1, 4:06
- Devin Clark def. Alonzo Menifield via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Herbert Burns def. Evan Dunham via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:20
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