Olivier Aubin-Mercier (25-20-5) is the MMA star from Montreal who’s seeking to defend his 2022 Light-weight PFL Championship and decide up one other cool $1 million within the course of. It could be a fairytale ending to a stellar 20 yr plus profession that has examined him to each psychological and bodily limits.
And, in a dialog with M&F, Aubin-Mercier means that he intends for the 2023 PFL Championship showdown with Clay Collard (24-10-0) to be his last-ever battle. Now, deep into coaching and simply days away from that judgement day on Nov. 24, Aubin-Mercier displays on his profession and explains how his coaching has matured.
The 34-year-old tells M&F that he was 15 or 16 when he turned a black belt in judo. “I bear in mind there was a giant factor as a result of I didn’t need to do the examination to get the black belt,” recollects Aubin-Mercier. “So, I used to be a brown belt for a very, actually very long time and so they advised me they by no means would give me the black belt as a result of I used to be too lazy to be taught the identify’s of the strategies. To recollect it, I used to be too lazy to try this, and so they advised me ‘you must do it,’ after which I gained the (Canadian) Nationwide Championship as a brown belt, my (judo coach) didn’t prefer it, (however) they gave me my black belt,” laughs the a number of medal winner. “After I give it some thought, I used to be a little bit douchebag,” he jokes.
Whereas the self-professed “Canadian Gangster” is laid again and plenty of enjoyable to speak to, he actually hasn’t been lazy as an MMA fighter. Aubin-Mercier made his debut in 2011 and in regional promotions throughout Quebec, completed his first 4 opponents off by submission. By 2014 he’d made the finals of “The Final Fighter Nations” collection and whereas he was unsuccessful within the finale, he went on to rack up 11 wins within the UFC.
Sadly, 2018-2019 noticed Aubin-Mercier on the shedding finish of three fights earlier than departing from the UFC. “I feel loads of issues was fallacious, you already know?” displays the fighter. “First, I feel I didn’t develop as I ought to have, since I went to UFC too quickly. However with COVID and every thing, it gave me a while to essentially enhance in order that’s the very first thing. The second factor, I feel mentally, I used to be not there. Particularly within the final three fights. I feel I used to be elsewhere, and never in a superb place, you already know? And that modified. I fell again in love with coaching.”
Olivier Aubin-Mercier revived his MMA profession after falling again in love with coaching
Mercier says that when he seems again on his losses within the UFC, he can pinpoint the failings to tactical error. “They have been higher than me at that time and that’s it,” he says, completely at peace with studying from these experiences. Aubin-Mercier signed with the Skilled Fighters League in March 2020, and fell again in love with coaching, however he jokes that he didn’t have anybody to battle at that time due to the upcoming covid lockdowns.
He laughs that he might simply as effectively have been coaching to tackle certainly one of his neighbors, however fortuitously for people who reside on his road, he confronted Marcin Held at PFL 4 in 2021 as an alternative, and gained by way of unanimous choice. In 2022, Aubin-Mercier knocked out Stevie Ray within the finals of the light-weight match to select up the championship and a million-dollar-payday. As a child, he’d dreamed of investing cash into profitable Pokémon playing cards, and together with his newly earned money he was lastly in a position to make such purchases, though he then gifted them to his brother.
Whereas the Canadian Gangster had beforehand been a fan of circuit coaching and exhausting sparring, he now takes a totally totally different method to preparation on this second half of his profession. “This yr I did some harm prevention,” he explains, noting that lately he solely does gentle sparring and somewhat than lifting, works quite a bit with resistance bands. After signing with the PFL, Aubin-Mercier separated together with his accomplice and so newly single, he was in a position to transfer nearer to the fitness center. He credit that transfer as being extremely important in his potential to make bodily and strategical progress together with his skills in MMA.
One other massive recreation changer for Aubin-Mercier has been his utilization of the Desmotec machine. This can be a machine that has been designed to enhance rehabilitation whereas growing efficiency. It supplies ranges of resistance that require the topic to push and pull, typically to timed packages. The concept is that by way of these actions, one can each tone and strengthen their physique whereas on the identical time increase the stabilizing muscle tissues to assist forestall harm. “That’s my conditioning,” he says. “It’s nothing loopy, I ended working too, as a result of the day(s) after working I used to be not feeling nice with my knees.”
Olivier says he’ll depart all of it within the cage throughout the 2023 PFL Championship
“I take pleasure in being a part of the PFL, however I don’t take pleasure in this yr, you already know?” says the defending champ. “I’m getting drained. My motivation just isn’t there, however the self-discipline is there.” Nonetheless, the fighter is attempting to encourage himself within the brief time period, figuring out that his might be his closing bow, and that Clay Collard is a really worthy opponent. “I did every thing in my energy to be the very best model of myself for this battle, like I did in each different battle earlier than … that’s why I’m going to take a break. In all probability, it’s going to be the final battle this yr.” In actual fact, Olivier Aubin-Mercier recommended that this may be his final battle, interval. “Something can occur, and it’s most likely going to be my final battle,” he shares. “I’m completely happy that’s going to be my final battle, figuring out that I’ve by no means been this good, however with that being mentioned, the cherry on prime can be a win.”
So, what occurs as soon as Olivier Aubin-Mercier lastly does hang-up the gloves? For one factor, the previous media pupil hopes to proceed working with the Skilled Fighters League in a communications position. Then in fact, there’s at all times that postponed battle together with his neighbors, and maybe a showdown together with his brother, ought to he ever need to retrieve these Pokémon playing cards.
The PFL World Championship closing takes place on Friday, Nov. 24 at 8PM ET. For extra info go to: https://pflmma.com/championship2023
