HALIFAX – Gerald Meerschaert has experienced the ideal start to his UFC career.

After debuting in December, Meerschaert (26-8 MMA, 2-0 UFC) picked up his second UFC win in less than two months – both by submission – when he forced Ryan Janes (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) to tap out with a first-round armbar on Sunday at UFC Fight Night 105.

The middleweight bout opened the FS1-televised prelims prior to the main card on the same channel at Scotiabank Centre.

“This is about as good as it can get,” Meerschaert told MMAjunkie. “I’m 2-0, and I’m just looking to get out there, building up my highlight reel, get some fans, and move onto the next (fight).”

After scoring a “Performance of the Night” submission of Joe Gigliotti in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 102 in December, Meerschaert thought he put future opponents on notice with regard to his ground game. He’s earned 19 of his 26 career wins by tapout but said he’s not necessarily looking to always win on the mat.

“I’m taking what they give me,” Meerschaert said. “Everyone sees the guillotines and rear-naked’s coming. I even had his neck for a little bit; I didn’t really go for it because everyone is aware of it, and those can sometimes put you in a bad spot if you don’t finish it right away. He obviously wasn’t expecting that kind of ground game out of me.”

Although the beginning of his UFC career has been nearly flawless, Meerschaert knows there’s still a tremendous amount of work to do before he’s considered a truly relevant name at 185 pounds.

As someone that’s already spent nearly a decade in the sport, the 29-year-old said he’s prepared for the best, but he also knows he has more to prove before he’s pitted against the elite.

“I feel like I can beat anybody in the world, but I also believe in paying your dues and proving your worth,” Meerschaert said. “I’ll probably get another opponent similar to my stature (next), which I think is fair to everybody. Then after that, who they want me to fight, we’ll talk about that. I want to be in the UFC as long as I can. I don’t want to rush anything. It did take me a long time to get here. I’m in no rush to get to the top 10 or the top five before I’m ready.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 105, check out the UFC Events section of the site.