Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Anthony Romero Preview
Olivier Aubin-Mercier is the reigning 2022 PFL lightweight champion and is undefeated in the promotion at 7-0. He’s coming off a unanimous decision win over the tough former UFC fighter Shane Burgos in his first fight of the season. With just 3 points after that win, Aubin-Mercier is not safe with another decision win and has to look for a finish against Romero.
Anthony Romero comes into the fight at just 26 years old as a DWCS and PFL Challenger Series veteran. Coming off a win in the Challenger Series against Tony Caruso, Romero is currently riding a 3-fight win streak. As a +400 underdog, Romero looks to pull off a massive upset against the reigning champion and book his spot in the playoffs.
The two men squared off at PFL 6 on Friday night, and the fight delivered in all aspects.
Fight Recap
The fight started with OAM taking control of the center, keeping Romero’s back against the cage. OAM landed a big right hand while Romero’s back was against the cage. Romero pushed back with a front kick up the middle that stunned the Canadian, forcing him back to the cage where Romero forced a clinch exchange. Aubin-Mercier continued to apply his pressure-heavy style, landing big hooks and uppercuts while keeping Romero on the back foot.
The 2nd round started with Romero throwing a head kick which was blocked by OAM, who returned fire with his own head kick that partially glanced off Romero’s head. The straight left hand started to land more consistently for OAM, who stalked Romero around the cage. Switching between short flurries of hooks and uppercuts along with some straight lefts at range, OAM had taken complete control of the fight. A headbutt stopped the action halfway through the 2nd round, with another clash of heads following just one minute later. The action started again with the pair trading body kicks before butting heads yet again. The referee then decided to talk to both fighters and ensure they understood they were equally at fault. No points were deducted and the two continued with much of the same
The 3rd round started with the referee warning both fighters to watch their head positioning. Romero came out hot with a 1-2 that glanced off OAM’s guard before eating a hard jab. Romero answered with a leg kick but then ducked down into a head kick, eating a vicious knee from the Canadian that put his lights out.
The finish came just 27 seconds into the 3rd round, giving OAM a 7-point finish in this year’s regular season.
2023 Lightweight Playoffs Set
The win secures “The Canadian Gangster” the #2 seed in the lightweight division for this year’s PFL Playoffs. He’ll take on 2x PFL champion Natan Schulte in the semi-finals. The fight is a rematch of their fight from just April last year that ended in a split-decision win for Aubin-Mercier. The opposite side of the bracket sees top-seeded Clay Collard take on Bruno Miranda. With all 4 men undefeated in the regular season and the reigning champion still alive in the tournament, the lightweight division is sure to bring some top-tier action for the playoffs.
Do you think OAM can reclaim PFL championship status again? Let us know in the comments below.
Images via RDS
