Olivier Aubin-Mercier used to be counting the times till his PFL debut. It used to be March 2021 and he had now not fought within the era and a part since departing the UFC. He’d had a robust run throughout the Octagon for part a decade, however nearest struggling a 3rd instantly loss within the ultimate bout of his guarantee, Aubin-Mercier had now not been re-signed.
Now used to be his prospect to step again right into a cage and get his combating occupation again not off course.
However an shock all through coaching break out his effervescent alternative a few age out from struggle night time. OAM needed to reluctantly touch the PFL to get out of the bout.
This used to be now not the primary date Aubin-Mercier had observable a scheduled struggle fall aside. However taking into consideration his lengthy magic of idleness and his pleasure over becoming a member of a untouched promotion, this cancellation strike him particularly crisp. He wouldn’t totally perceive the affect till a number of months next.
When Aubin-Mercier in the end made it into the PFL cage that June, he briefly learned that issues run another way on this corporate. He defeated Marcin Held by means of determination that night time, however the victory took him nowhere. Within the PFL, opponents amass issues for the standings over a two-bout season. Aubin-Mercier, then again, used to be ready to struggle simply as soon as all through the 2021 season, and his one win, as dominant because it used to be, didn’t qualify him for the playoffs.
“It was a wakeup call,” he informed ESPN. “I was so excited to come back that I was killing myself at training, and went a bit too hard at some point. My injury was not a big thing, but it was not possible for me to fight on schedule. I knew I had to change things.”
Obviously, the issues that modified have labored out smartly for Aubin-Mercier. He’s 8-0 within the PFL, together with the 4 wins that earned him the 2022 light-weight season championship.
OAM starts his playoff quest for a 2d instantly 155-pound championship on Wednesday in Fresh York, when he faces Bruno Miranda at the ultimate tournament of the PFL semifinals (6:30 p.m. on ESPN+). The bouts inside of The Theater at Madison Sq. Ground quality light-weight and welterweight semis.
Find luck within the PFL, Aubin-Mercier is a inadequency amongst UFC imports. Rory MacDonald and Anthony Pettis fell on their recognizable faces all through their PFL runs. And simply this season, former UFC opponents Aspen Ladd, Thiago Santos and Krzysztof Jotko all ignored the playoffs of their first PFL season. Shane Burgos eked into the playoffs best nearest any other fighter used to be pulled from the bracket. (Burgos faces Clay Collard in a Wednesday semifinal.)
“It’s always motivating to see those guys from the UFC, those big stars, come over to the PFL and lose,” Aubin-Mercier stated. “I always knew I could compete with everyone over there” — he used to be 7-1 within the Octagon prior to the skid that ended his run within the promotion — “and I am better now than I was in the UFC. I showed that a few months ago by beating one of those guys, Shane Burgos, who was in the top 15 in the UFC. Shane is a great, great athlete, and I totally controlled that fight.”
General keep an eye on has been a hallmark of OAM’s date within the PFL. His 2023 season opener towards Burgos bore some key similarities to maximum of his alternative PFL bouts: He by no means discovered himself in hassle or taking injury, and he made it simple for the cageside judges. Sure, judges. Six of Aubin-Mercier’s 8 PFL wins have come by means of determination. It won’t at all times be crowd-pleasing, however fending off slugfests is an clever approach to navigate thru a season that calls for that you just interact in 4 fistfights in not up to 8 months.
“It’s a grind, really demanding,” PFL play-by-play announcer Sean O’Connell stated. “Making it through a season requires you to be in a constant state of readiness, and that is unfamiliar for people outside of this organization, where the fight schedule is beyond your control. You just have to be able to push through.”
O’Connell is aware of of what he speaks. Prior to his broadcast occupation, he had over 30 skilled MMA fights, together with seven as a UFC shiny heavyweight. The overall 5 fights of his occupation got here within the PFL, the place he gained the 2018 season championship.
“In every sport that I played, I always was the guy who was not so fast, not so explosive, not so whatever,” stated O’Connell, who performed Category 1 faculty soccer prior to taking over martial arts. “But I was always tough. I could grind through things that other people might not have been able to. And OAM is like that. The PFL format really lends itself to his style of fighting and preparation, his mentality and professionalism, just the way he approaches the game.”
The largest adjustment for Aubin-Mercier used to be now not in his fights — “I’ve always approached fights in a strategic, technical manner” — however extra so in his coaching. He doesn’t snatch it simple within the fitness center, however his coaching periods develop into shorter as his fights method. “It was hard for me to restrain myself at first, but I have learned that this is how high-level athletes train for big tournaments,” OAM stated. “When I was in the UFC, I sometimes would feel drained by the time of my fights. Now that I train smarter, I have more energy.”
The largest problem with combating within the PFL, Aubin-Mercier believes, is specializing in the lengthy view. The season starts in April and, with playoffs, is going till November, and there’s now not a batch of downtime alongside the way in which. A setback, even a tiny one, can derail the entire thing — as used to be the case all through his first season.
To stick not off course, an athlete has to struggle off the calls for of a powerful opponent: the egotism.
“As athletes, we all have ego, so we want to go 100% in training at all times and in every round of every fight,” Aubin-Mercier stated. “But that is not possible in the PFL format. It’s cool to win a fight, but you have to be ready for the next one. And the next one is in two months.”
Ian Parker’s easiest bets for 2023 PFL Playoffs: Welterweights and Lightweights
Light-weight: Clay Collard vs. Shane Burgos
Collard to win (+110). That is considered one of, if now not essentially the most, expected struggle in PFL historical past. Later a loss to OAM in his PFL debut, Burgos bounced again with a unanimous win over Yamato Nishikawa. To get a win over Collard, Burgos must take off early and feature a flawless efficiency. For Collard, this could be the era he makes a run to the finals. He’s wearing enough of momentum from his endmost struggle, a TKO end over Stevie Ray. Except Burgos can snatch Collard indisposed and secure him there for 3 rounds, I don’t see any alternative trail to victory for him. Collard throws a ton of quantity with a menacing occasion, which I imagine can be excess for Burgos.
Welterweight: Sadibou Sy vs. Carlos Leal
Sy to win (-175). Leal has been on a tear profitable each his fights this season by means of knockout. To get the disappointed win over Sy, he’s going to want to related the gap briefly. Alternatively, this is more uncomplicated stated than executed towards Sy, who excels at placing from distance and conserving fighters at dimension. I be expecting the similar end result as endmost season’s struggle, a call win for Sy.
Ladies featherweight non-playoff struggle: Abigail Montes vs. Michelle Montague
Montague to win (+100). Montague seems to get the largest win of her occupation and accumulation a roster spot for the 2024 PFL season towards Montes. Later back-to-back losses, Montes were given again not off course with a first-round knockout win over Brandy Hester. Montes has fought the higher-level pageant, then again, Montague is best. Search for Montague to make use of her wrestling right here and book that undefeated file.
