Peter Maiorano

PFL 2023 Championship : Collard vs. Aubin-Mercier

Lightweight Championship

#1 Clay Collard 🆚 #2 Olivier Aubin-Mercier

The stage is now set for an electrifying showdown between Collard and Aubin-Mercier in the PFL 2023 Championship on November 24th. Aubin-Mercier, known as “The Quebec Kid” and “The Canadian Gangster,” brings his Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, while Collard, aka “Cassius,” relies on his striking and well-rounded skills.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier

Olivier Aubin-Mercier, the 2022 PFL Lightweight Tournament champion, continued right where he left off in 2023. He began the season with a unanimous decision victory over Shane Burgos on April 14. A third-round knee knockout against Anthony Romero on June 23 put the division on notice.. In the semi-finals on August 23, Aubin-Mercier TKO’d Bruno Miranda at the end of the second round to advance to the finale.

Clay Collard

Clay Collard began 2023 with a series of impressive victories. He started by defeating Yamato Nishikawa on April 14 by unanimous decision. He followed that up with a second-round TKO over Stevie Ray on June 23. In the lightweight tournament semi-finals on August 23, Collard secured another unanimous decision win. This time it was against Shane Burgos, in what will most likely be the Fight of the Year. The victory in that bloody brawl earned him a spot in the final.

PFL 2023 Championship Prediction

Collard suffered an injury during the Burgos match and found a way to get his arm raised by the judges. This is his best chance to grab the title and the $1,000,000 grand prize. With that being said, the gruesome PFL schedule may not have allowed him time to heal. He takes a lot of kicks to the legs and OAM will be sure to exploit that weakness. Collard will not be able to punch it out like he did with Burgos. OAM is simply not that type of fighter. Expect the reigning champ to get his arm raised again and secure the cash and back-to-back lightweight title.

Thank you for reading my PFL 2023 Championship MMA/Boxing article. Without a doubt, our combat sports page is your premier destination for all things fighting. Head to my Pete’s Sports PFL Page and follow me on Twitter. For MMA/Boxing and all other sports articles check out Pete Sports. Please go to my You Tube Channel where you can subscribe to my videos. Featured image credit Peter Maiorano/Belly Up Sports.

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