Enjoy Olivier Aubin-Mercier while he’s around, because his days in mixed martial arts could be numbered.
“The Canadian Gangster” has won nine straight bouts under the Professional Fighters League banner, and he will attempt to capture his second lightweight title in the organization when he faces Clay Collard at the 2023 PFL Championships on Nov. 24. After that fight, Aubin-Mercier plans on going on a lengthy hiatus at the very least. There’s only one thing that could entice him to return sooner than planned, if he returns at all.
“For sure I’m gonna take a big break,” Aubin-Mercier said during a recent media day session. “There’s no question about that. I don’t think you’re going to see me next year. If PFL wants to come to Montreal, and they want to give me some good money, and have some friends of mine on the card, then for sure I’m going to fight one more time.
“But other than that I have no interest in doing the next season. I have no interest in doing another fight. I’m tired. I want to pass time with my family, and that’s what I plan to do.”
The Tristar Gym standout has emerged as one the better lightweights in the sport after parting ways with the UFC on the heels of a three-bout losing streak. One thing he has mastered during his PFL tenure is the ability to manage his training during the grind of a lengthy season.
“You have to train smart,” he said. “I think that’s one of the things that most people do when they come into PFL, they don’t train smart. They go a little bit crazy, and they have this idea that they want to fight four times a year. [They say], ‘I want to fight all the time.’ Yeah, sure. Go in the PFL and see if you want to fight all the time. If you do training camp like you do in the UFC, you’re dumb as f—k.
“I talk to a lot of fighters in the PFL, and they all said the same thing. You cannot spar like you used to.”
When it comes to sparring, Aubin-Mercier has completely eliminated that portion of his camp in recent years.
“I don’t spar anymore,” he said. “I would say I was sparring twice a week, maximum three times a week when I was in the UFC. I didn’t do one sparring this year.”
The approach seems to be working for Aubin-Mercier, who will look to add Collard to his list of victims in PFL competition later this month. After that, it could be farewell for one of the organization’s top talents. For now, he’s looking forward to the matchup with Collard.
“He has a strange style. He’s really game. Great personality, too. I like the guy. The guy is crazy,” Aubin-Mercier said. “His family is crazy too. They almost fought one of my friends two fights ago. It’s an interesting matchup, I really like it. I was hoping it was going to be in the final. He had a hard path to get there, and I’m really happy for him."
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