After progressing to the PFL Light-Heavyweight final, Canadian fighter Olivier Aubin-Mercier is one win away from the top prize of $1 million. Aubin-Mercier defeated Paraguay’s Alex Martinez in a unanimous decision and he will face Stevie Ray in the final, who defeated Anthony Pettis also by a unanimous decision.
Aubin-Mercier and Martinez have trained together in the past in Montreal. Aubin-Mercier dominated the fight from the beginning while Martinez launched some body kicks from the outside.
When Aubin-Mercier was on top of him, Martinez was content with hitting some counter-punch and kicks.
In the second round, Aubin-Mercier launched a left hook to Martinez’s chin. Martinez was trying to lock in an armbar from below which Aubin-Mercier got away with. Then, Aubin-Mercier managed to catch Martinez with a body triangle, giving him a lot of time to gain points with that position.
Entering the last 15th second of the third round, Aubin-Mercier landed another strike on Martinez’s jaw.
Aubin-Mercier extends his winning record this year after beating Martinez. He previously won both of his regular fights against Brazilian fighters this year, one unanimous win over Nathan Schulte from Brazil and a split decision over Raush Manfio.
Since coming into the PFL, Aubin-Mercier has not lost a single fight, winning all five with decisions including one against Martinez.
OAM Drops Alex in the 3rd round!#PFLPlayoffs LIVE on ESPN+
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomkWj8 pic.twitter.com/9vVV5AEACr— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 5, 2022
Prior to Martinez’s bout, Aubin-Mercier said he was content with the situation. The former UFC fighter even joked about telling the experience to his grandchildren in the future.
“I’m almost getting stressed because I’m not stressed,” he said. “It’s a weird feeling. I think I found my groove. I think it’s better. But that being said I don’t know if it’s going to stay like this for the $1 million.
“When I tell the story to my grandchildren, I won’t talk about the Hulu Theatre. I’m just going to say Madison Square Garden,” joked Aubin-Mercier.
UFC alumnus
Before joining the PFL, Aubin-Mercier fought in the UFC for five years, winning his first fight night over Jake Lindsey submission in October 2014. Some notable names he faced in the UFC were Gilbert Burns and Arman Tsarukyan whom he lost both fights, leaving the promotion with a 7-5 record.
During the five years of his UFC journey, he never made it to one main event.
Aubin-Mercier admitted that he has kept his eyes on the PFL even since he was still fighting in UFC.
“I liked it so much that during those two years, I was trying to first win my last three fights in the UFC to finish my contract, but then get in PFL after that,” Aubin-Mercier said to ESPN.
“So I’m happy they still took me [despite losing his last UFC fight]. I’m really happy to be with them, and it’s gonna be a hell of a ride for the next year.”
Aubin-Mercier isn’t the only former UFC fighter competing in the PFL. Rory MacDonald, one of the most well-known UFC fighters of all time, is now competing in the PFL, too.
MacDonald competed for Bellator from 2017 until 2019, before joining the PFL.