2023 PFL champ Olivier Aubin-Mercier plans to take a year off MMA, sees return unlikely: 'I don't have it anymore'
WASHINGTON, D.C. – It looks like Olivier Aubin-Mercier has hit the end of his fighting career, at least for now.
After winning his second season under the PFL, Aubin-Mercier (21-5) told MMA Junkie that he’s retiring from MMA, but leaving the door for a potential return if he changes his mind down the line.
Aubin-Mercier defeated Clay Collard (24-11) in a unanimous decision in the main event of 2023 PFL Championship this past Friday at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. It was his second title win at lightweight, as he had won the season prior.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling to tell you the truth,” Aubin-Mercier told MMA Junkie. “It’s so weird, the sensation. I felt that I don’t have it anymore. I don’t feel the butterflies anymore. It feels like it’s just a normal day for me. Look, I knew it was my last time, but it was a strange feeling to tell you the truth.
According to Aubin-Mercier, he felt like the $1 million stage was just like another day in the gym.
“I still have the drive, but I just don’t have the butterflies anymore,” Aubin-Mercier said. “I was there backstage, and it felt like it was a normal day like training. The fight was tough, I’m not going to lie, but even the joy at the end, I didn’t really feel it. Maybe it’s because I was emotional because it was my last time, I don’t know. It was a weird experience.”
The 34-year-old fighter is not fully retiring, as he believes there’s a chance he might fight again. Still, that’s an unlikely possibility, and believes this was the last time he stepped in the cage as a professional fighter.
“For sure, I leave the door open, but I’m going to take a year off for sure, and you know, it’s hard for an athlete to come back after a year, but the feeling I have is that it’s my last time.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.
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