Two standout Canadian lightweights at very different points in their respective careers faced off in the main event of Friday’s 2023 PFL 6 card in Atlanta, GA.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier was the 2022 PFL lightweight champ, undefeated through seven fights since parting ways with the UFC in 2018. Anthony Romero was the man twice overlooked for a shot in the big show — first on Dana White’s Contender Series and earlier this year on the PFL Challenger Series. But after a spot in the season opened up due to injury, the 26-year old Romero now had the biggest opportunity of his career in front of him.
A polite touch of the gloves (very Canadian) was followed by Romero firing a kick to the body early in the PFL 6 main event. Romero would later go low with a kick, touching the lead leg of Aubin-Mercier, who had taken to holding center, keeping Romero on the fence. Less than 90 seconds in, and OAM appeared to hurt Romero with a right hook. Moments later, an uppercut landed for the champ, but Romero then clipped Aubin-Mercier with a kick!
Romero pressed forward then, with OAM hanging on in the clinch. They broke, and Romero would flash a front kick that missed the mark; Aubin-Mercier landed a right hook once again. It was clear that kicks were a heavy part of Romero’s gameplan, but in the back half of the round, Aubin-Mercier got his hands going, landing several heavy blows on his fellow Canadian.
Round two opened with Romero throwing up another high kick, blocked by Aubin-Mercier. OAM then fired a high kick in return, and a knee to the body moments later. Neither landed clean; OAM then ducked a big swing by Romero. With nothing to lose, Romero might be wise to hunt the knockout, given he needed points to have any hope of making the post-season. Instead, it was Aubin-Mercier finding more success on the feet, until an accidental clash of heads halted the action near the midway mark.
A brief reprieve, and they got going again, with Aubin-Mercier kicking high, and Romero missing a spinning back fist. Surprisingly, perhaps, neither man had shown any inclination to shoot for a takedown through the first half of the fight. Around the 90 second mark, another accidental clash of heads transpired, which left Romero sporting a small cut.
A couple of hard kicks were traded on the restart, when a third head clash, again ruled accidental, almost immediately halted the action. The ref warned both men to watch their heads, and both appeared to have a little extra bounce in their step as they got underway once more.
In the third round, Olivier Aubin-Mercier left nothing to chance. After a foul-filled second, OAM uncorked a head kick that saw the knee connect flush on Romero’s temple. Aubin-Mercier followed up with a single punch as the ref dove in and called it! The third-round finish earned Aubin-Mercier four points; he’ll rematch Natan Schulte in the semifinals, while Clay Collard faces Bruno Miranda in the other semifinal bout.
Canadian Gangster things. #2023PFL6 pic.twitter.com/vAj6J1TTef
— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) June 24, 2023
Official Result: Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Anthony Romero by knockout (knee), Round 3, 0:28
