Olivier Aubin-Mercier believes the PFL should reconsider putting their prized signings against him after defeating Shane Burgos in their recent match.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier believes that the PFL might want to reconsider pitting their prized signings against him. The league’s 2022 lightweight champion began his 2023 campaign with a victory over fellow former UFC fighter Shane Burgos in the main event of PFL 3. Burgos, who had recently signed with the PFL after two straight featherweight division wins in the UFC, was taken down by Aubin-Mercier in his seventh consecutive win.
On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Aubin-Mercier was asked if he thought the PFL had made a mistake in booking him as Burgos’ debut opponent. “I was surprised they gave me Shane,” he responded. “I really thought they would not give it to me at first, but I feel that they changed the way they see it. Last time with [Anthony] Pettis, I think they tried to make a little path for him to make the final and it failed, and I think this time they tried the opposite, to just make the best fight in the beginning.” He added that they did the same with Brendan Loughnane and Rob Wilkinson, to similar effect.
Aubin-Mercier pointed to former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, who has yet to advance to a final in two PFL seasons, as well as Marlon Moraes and Thiago Santos, who had unsuccessful PFL regular-season debuts. Regarding Burgos’ promotional push, he said it was “kind of nice” to be the underdog, but ultimately enjoyed playing the spoiler. “It was sweet to have a win over Shane because of that,” he admitted.
The former welterweight attributed his success to a newfound confidence, maturation, and time spent on growth and development rather than continuous fight camps. While in the UFC, he had a 7-5 record, but has remained unbeaten since joining the PFL in 2021. Aubin-Mercier considers himself a matchup problem for anyone in his division, stating, “I think I’m a really complicated man to fight right now.”