Professional Fighters League 2022 lightweight champion Olivier
Aubin-Mercier isn’t looking to engage in an all-out war with
Clay
Collard in their scheduled lightweight finals bout Friday at
the
2023 PFL Championships.
Undefeated since his arrival in the PFL, Mercier (20-5) finds
himself competing for the lightweight championship for the second
time in a row. “The Canadian Gangster” has earned the
highly-coveted title fight on the heels of three impressive outings
against Bruno
Miranda, Anthony
Romero and former
Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Shane
Burgos.
Advertisement
Interestingly, Mercier and Collard (24-10) will enter the Smart
Cage on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington D.C. having faced a
common opponent in Burgos. Although both 2023 playoff finalists
managed to secure the victory against “Hurricane,” the way the two
approached the matchup couldn’t have been more different.
While “The Canadian Gangster” defeated Burgos with his well-rounded
approach by comfortably outclassing the American both on the feet
and the ground, Collard and Burgos engaged in a stand-up battle,
inflicting significant damage on each other throughout the fight.
In the end, “Cassius” managed to secure the unanimous decision in a
bout that is considered by many to be one of the most memorable
fights in PFL history and a legitimate candidate for 2023’s “Fight
of the Year.”
Keeping the same in mind, Mercier will look to impose his will and
gameplan against Collard without being goaded into a back-and-forth
brawl with “Cassisus,” who has repeatedly found success inside the
Smart Cage by overwhelming the opposition with his high-volume
striking and pressure.
“I’m going to see how I feel but, I just have to be smart, you
know, standing up… I cannot do a war like Burgos did with him…
And I think it’s the danger of Collard; you cannot get in his game
because he’s really good at that. He’s good, really good at war.
So, I have to be careful, I have to be smart, don’t stay in
traffic; it’s useless and that’s it. I mean, make him pay for the
mistake.”
Tudor Leonte contributed to this item.