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Points will be at a premium when prospective lightweights Raush Manfio and Olivier Aubin-Mercier restart their respective Professional Fighters League campaigns in a featured PFL 4 attraction on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Neither man can afford a misstep at this stage of the season.
Manfio, the promotion’s reigning champion at 155 pounds, finds himself in the midst of a career-best five-fight winning streak. The American Top Team export deposited four points in his 2022 account with a third-round technical knockout of Don Madge in April. Aubin-Mercier, meanwhile, has rattled off three consecutive victories. The Tristar Gym product pocketed three points with a split decision over Natan Schulte at PFL 1 on April 20.
As Manfio and Aubin-Mercier make final preparations for their pivotal clash in the lightweight division, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
30: Years of age for Manfio, who was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Nov. 3, 1991.
8: Manfio victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 50% of his career total (16). His list of victims includes the aforementioned Madge, Chazz Walton and Demarques Jackson. Manfio holds eight other victories by decision, two of the split-scorecards variety.
224: Days spent by Manfio as Titan Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder. He laid claim to the crown with a first-round knockout of Walton at Titan 46 on Nov. 17, 2017, made one successful defense with a five-round unanimous decision over Lee Henry Lilly at Titan 48 on Feb. 16, 2018, then surrendered it when he was outpointed by Sidney Outlaw at Titan 50 on June 29, 2018.
46: Professional rounds completed by Manfio as a mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 11 different occasions and carries an 8-3 record in those bouts.
.766: Cumulative winning percentage between the three opponents—Sidney Outlaw, Matt Frevola and Fernando dos Santos—who have defeated Manfio. The trio sports a combined record of 36-10-1.
33: Years of age for Aubin-Mercier, who was born on Feb. 23, 1989 in Montreal.
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8: Aubin-Mercier wins by submission, accounting for 57% of his career total (14). His methods of choice: seven rear-naked chokes and one inverted triangle kimura. Aubin-Mercier owns one other win by knockout or technical knockout—he put away Evan Dunham with a knee strike and follow-up punches at UFC 223 in 2018—and five more by decision.
58: Seconds needed for Aubin-Mercier to submit Guy Polin with a rear-naked choke in his pro debut at Ringside MMA 12 on Oct. 21, 2011. It remained the fastest finish on his resume until he waylaid Dunham in 53 seconds six-plus years later.
5: Organizations in which Aubin-Mercier has competed as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 7-5 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, 3-0 in the PFL, 2-0 in Ringside MMA, 1-0 in Slamm and 1-0 in Challenge MMA.
81: Combined victories between the five opponents—Arman Tsarukyan, Gilbert Burns, Alexander Hernandez, Diego Ferreira and Chad Laprise—who have beaten Aubin-Mercier. They boast a cumulative .794 winning percentage (81-21).
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