Olivier Aubin-Mercier (; born February 23, 1989) is a Canadian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight ...

division of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

. He formerly competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

until October 2019 when he became a free agent. A professional competitor since 2011, he was also on The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia.

Background

Born and raised in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Aubin-Mercier began learning

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

from a young age and was talented, earning a black belt, and was a two-time junior national champion as well as a three time senior national medalist. In addition, Aubin-Mercier also competed for the adult national Canadian team. Aubin-Mercier attended

CEGEP A CEGEP ( or ; ), also written cégep, CÉGEP and cegep, is a publicly funded college providing technical, academic, vocational or a mix of programs; they are exclusive to the province of Quebec's education system. A loanword from French, ...

for two years studying Multimedia.

Mixed martial arts career

Aubin-Mercier made his professional debut in 2011 and competed in regional promotions across

. He compiled a record of 4 - 0, finishing all of his opponents by submission in the first round before auditioning for

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

The Ultimate Fighter: Nations

In December 2013, it was announced that Aubin-Mercier would be a cast member on '' The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia'', representing Canada at welterweight. Over the course of the show, Aubin-Mercier first defeated Jake Matthews in the quarterfinals via unanimous decision. In the semifinals, Aubin-Mercier went on to defeat Richard Walsh via submission (rear-naked choke) to reach the finals.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Aubin-Mercier made his official debut facing fellow castmate

Chad Laprise Chad Laprise (born July 23, 1986) is a retired Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competed for the UFC in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Laprise won '' The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Austra ...

in the welterweight finals on April 16, 2014 The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale. Laprise won the fight via split decision. Aubin-Mercier faced Jake Lindsey in a lightweight bout on October 4, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 54 ''UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 54'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on October 4, 2014. Background This event was the first event the UF ...

. Aubin-Mercier won the bout via submission in the second round, which also earned him a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Aubin-Mercier faced

David Michaud David Michaud (born November 10, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he formerly competed for the Professional Fighters League, Legacy Fight ...

on April 25, 2015 at

UFC 186 ''UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 25, 2015, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background The event was the seventh event that the UFC has hosted in Montreal, Quebec. The event was expec ...

. He won the fight via submission in the third round. Aubin-Mercier was expected to face Chris Wade on August 23, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 74. However, Wade pulled out of the bout in late July after sustaining an injury and was replaced by Tony Sims. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Aubin-Mercier faced

Carlos Diego Ferreira Carlos Diego Ferreira (born January 18, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Legacy FC lightweight champion, and vacated the ...

on January 30, 2016 at

UFC on Fox 18 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 18'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 30, 2016, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background The event was headlined by a potential UFC Light Heavyweight ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Aubin-Mercier next faced

Thibault Gouti Thibault Gouti (born February 27, 1987) is a French mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional since 2011, he has also competed in the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Early career Gouti was amas ...

on June 18, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 89 ''UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 89'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 18, 2016 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Background The event was the first that the promotion has hoste ...

. He won the fight via submission in the third round. Aubin Mercier faced Drew Dober on December 10, 2016 at

UFC 206 ''UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held on December 10, 2016, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Championshi ...

. He won the fight via submission in the second round. Aubin-Mercier was expected to face Leonardo Santos on June 3, 2017 at

UFC 212 ''UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on June 3, 2017, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background A UFC Featherweight Championship unification bout betwe ...

. However the bout was scrapped on May 18 as both fighters were removed from the card. Aubin-Mercier faced

Anthony Rocco Martin Anthony "Tony" Rocco Martin (born December 11, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight and welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born in Palos Heights, Illinois, M ...

on September 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 116. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision. Aubin-Mercier was scheduled to face

Gilbert Burns Gilbert Alexander Pontes Burns (born 20 July 1986) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As a grappler, Burns ...

on February 24, 2018 at

UFC on Fox 28 ''UFC on Fox: Emmett vs. Stephens'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 28'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on February 24, 2018, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. Background The even ...

. However, on February 21, 2018, the bout was scrapped as promotional medical officials deemed Burns would be unsafe to meet lightweight upper limit of 156 Ibs limit upon his arrival at the fight week. Aubin-Mercier faced

Evan Dunham Evan Neil Dunham (born December 18, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in the lightweight division. He is perhaps best known for 21-fight tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship which spanned over a decade. Bac ...

on April 7, 2018 at

UFC 223 ''UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship bout between i ...

. He won the fight by TKO in the first round. This win earned him a '' Performance of the Night'' bonus. Aubin-Mercier faced

Alexander Hernandez Alexander Xavier Hernandez (born October 1, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Hernandez began wrestling at the age of 13 and started t ...

on July 28, 2018 at

UFC on Fox 30 ''UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 30'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 28, 2018 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Background The ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. The bout with

eventually took place on December 8, 2018 at

UFC 231 ''UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 8, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background A UFC Featherweight Championship bout between ...

. Aubin-Mercier lost the fight via unanimous decision. As the last fight of his prevailing contract, Aubin-Mercier faced

Arman Tsarukyan Arman Nairovich Tsarukyan (; born October 11, 1996) is a Georgia-born Armenian and Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of January 17, 2023, ...

on July 27, 2019 at

UFC 240 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Professional Fighters League

It was announced on early March, 2020, that Aubin-Mercier signed with

2021 Season

Aubin-Mercier was expected to make his PFL debut against Joilton Lutterbach on April 23, 2021 at PFL 1. However, in March, he pulled out of the bout due to injury. Aubin-Mercier faced

Marcin Held Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. He formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut, Professional Fighters League, a ...

at PFL 4 on June 10, 2021. He won the fight via unanimous decision, earning his first victory in the promotion. Aubin-Mercier was scheduled to face Natan Schulte on August 13, 2021 at PFL 7. However on August 4, it was announced that Schulte whad to pull out of the matchup and was replaced by

Darrell Horcher Darrell Joseph Horcher (born July 28, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2010, he formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator and the Cage Fury Fighting Championships, where he w ...

. At weigh-ins, Horcher weighed in at 159.25 pounds, missing weight by 3.25 pounds. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20% of his purse, which went to Aubin-Mercier who won the bout via unanimous decision.

2022 Season

Aubin-Mercier faced Natan Schulte on April 23, 2022 at PFL 1. He won the close bout via split decision. Aubin-Mercier faced 2021 PFL Lightweight Champion

Raush Manfio Raush Manfio Lourenço (born November 3, 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League. On October 27, 2021, he won the PFL lightweight championship belt. Figh ...

on June 17, 2022 at PFL 4. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Aubin-Mercier faced Alex Martinez in the Semifinals off the Lightweight tournament on August 5, 2022 at PFL 7. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Aubin-Mercier faced

Stevie Ray Lash Steven Huffman (born August 22, 1958) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stevie Ray. Stevie Ray is best known for his seven-year tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 200 ...

in the finals of the Lightweight tournament on November 25, 2022 at PFL 10. Aubin-Mercier won the fight by knockout in the second round and won the 2022 PFL Lightweight Tournament.

Championships and accomplishments

** 2022 PFL Lightweight Championship *

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Jake Lindsey and

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 17–5 ,

, KO (punch) , PFL 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:40 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 , Alex Martinez , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PFL 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Natan Schulte , Decision (split) , PFL 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Arlington, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PFL 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PFL 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 ,

, TKO (knees to the body and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 ,

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Drew Dober , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:57 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:28 , Ottawa,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Tony Sims , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:24 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Jake Lindsey , Submission (inverted triangle kimura) , UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:22 ,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 ,

, Decision (split) , The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Quebec City, Quebec Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is the ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jason Meisel , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Challenge MMA 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:38 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jordan Jewell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Slamm 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Daniel Ireland , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ringside MMA 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Teoscar Hernandez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ringside MMA 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 ,

, Canada , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Win , align=center, 2-0 , Richard Walsh , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia , April 2, 2014 (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jake Matthews , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia , February 27, 2014 (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada ,

References

External links

Olivier Aubin-Mercier
at PFL * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aubin-Mercier, Olivier 1989 births Living people Canadian male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Montreal Canadian male taekwondo practitioners Canadian male judoka Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters