Fighter Spotlight: Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Fighter Spotlight: Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Name: Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Record: 20-5
Date of Birth: February 23, 1989 (age 34)
Weight: 155 lb (71 kg)
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Reach: 71 in (180 cm)
Nationality: Canadian
Fighting out of: Tristar Gym, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Next Fight: Clay Collard at PFL 10: Aubin-Mercier vs. Collard for the finale of the 2023 season.
Early Life
Olivier Aubin-Mercier was born and raised in Quebec, Canada, learning Taekwondo from a young age. It wasn't until he enrolled in High School that he opted to learn Judo instead, and he was incredible almost immediately.
Aubin-Mercier progressed rapidly through Judo to finish second at the Canadian Nations and enter the Canadian National Team.
After High School, at 21, Aubin-Mercier was offered a substantial amount of money to continue competing in Judo for Canada; however, he refused and decided to try a different combat sport instead. This is where he found himself in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes and never looked back.
Aubin-Mercier also chose to take Muay Thai and Kickboxing classes to become a complete fighter and embark on an MMA career.
Aubin-Mercier had a few amateur fights, which he won all of, and finally went professional.
Professional Debut
In 2011, Aubin-Mercier debuted as a professional MMA fighter in the Lightweight weight class. He competed in a few regional organizations throughout Quebec, such as Ringside MMA, SLAMM, and Challenge MMA, in which he compiled a perfect record of 4 wins in 4 fights, finishing all his opponents by rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
The Ultimate Fighter Runner Up
Following his fourth professional fight, Aubin-Mercier was offered a shot on the UFC's reality TV show, The Ultimate Fighter, to secure a potential UFC contract.
Aubin-Mercier dominated his first 2 fights on the show, defeating Jake Matthews and Richard Walsh to advance to the live finale.
In the finale, Aubin-Mercier took on fellow Canadian Chad Laprise and lost a close split decision. However, this loss didn't deter Dana White, as he signed him for a UFC contract anyway.
UFC Days
Aubin-Mercier's first 7 fights in the UFC mainly came in Canada during 2014-2016. As stated, he lost his debut; however, after the fact, he found himself on a 3-fight win streak over Jake Lindsey, David Michaud, and Tony Sims, with 2 submissions and 1 decision.
Aubin-Mercier's fifth fight would see him take his second career loss at the hands of Carlos Diego Ferreira by unanimous decision.
Aubin-Mercier jumped back into his winning ways over his following 4 fights, securing all wins over impressive names such as Drew Dober, Anthony Rocco Martin, and Evan Dunham.
Aubin-Mercier's final 3 UFC fights would see him face back-to-back-to-back decision losses over Alexander Hernandez, Gilbert Burns, and Arman Tsarukyan. Due to these consecutive losses, Aubin-Mercier was not offered an opportunity to resign to the UFC and instead looked for other opportunities.
Road to a Million Dollars in the PFL
Aubin-Mercier made his PFL debut during the 2021 season, facing Marcin Held in his first fight. Aubin-Mercier won the fight unanimously and moved his record to 12-5.
Later the same year, Aubin-Mercier faced Darrell Horcher, who missed weight by 3 lbs, forcing the bout to be a catchweight. Aubin-Mercier won the fight unanimously and claimed 30% of Horcher's purse. Aubin-Mercier did not make it to the finale this year, and Raush Manfio ended 2021 as the PFL Lightweight champion.
2022 was Aubin-Mercier's best year of fighting. This year saw him win 3 decisions in the playoff stages of the 2022 tournament over Natan Schulte, Raush Manfio, and Alex Martinez in the process. These wins earned him a shot in the finale against Stevie Ray. Aubin-Mercier would knock Ray out in the second round to become PFL champion and 1 million dollars richer.
For the current 2023 season, Aubin-Mercier faced ex-UFC fighter and PFL debutant Shane Burgos in the first leg of the tournament, beating him by unanimous decision. Aubin-Mercier followed this up with back-to-back knockouts over Anthony Romero and Bruno Miranda to advance to the finale against Clay Collard on November 24, 2023.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier is now 20-5, with 4 knockouts and 8 submissions. He has never been finished in 25 fights.
Next Fight
Catch Olivier Aubin-Mercier in his next fight against Clay Collard at PFL 10 for a shot at his second PFL title and another million dollars.
