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Fans praised Olivier Aubin-Mercier after he officially retired from MMA.
Aubin-Mercier made his PFL debut in June 2021 after parting ways with the UFC following a three-fight losing streak. Later that year, ‘The Canadian Gangster’ was unfortunately pulled from the season format due to an injury, ending his 2-0 run.
Luckily, he bounced back in 2022 with four consecutive wins to become the lightweight champion and earn the $1 million prize.
On November 24, Aubin-Mercier extended his promotional record to 10-0 by defeating Clay Collard for his second consecutive world title. The $2 million earnings over two years was enough for ‘The Canadian Gangster’ as he announced his retirement on Instagram with a heartfelt message.
The 34-year-old started by shouting out PFL:
“Feeling incredibly grateful today as I hang up my gloves, I must give a massive shout-out to @pflmma . PFL believed in me. They recognized a fighter in a kid from Quebec who just wouldn’t quit. It has been an honor to step into the cage under their banner.”
Fans flooded the Instagram comment section with support for Aubin-Mercier’s decision:
“10/10 career. Stopped at the best time. Happy retirement!”
“Retiring a champion. You deserve this. Congratulations on a great career. Looking forward to see what’s next.”
“Great career. Now, enjoy the wine.”
“You deserve it 👏 👏👏👏👏 You deserve it 👏👏👏👏👏”
“Enjoy it. Very Well-Earned 🙌🙌🙌”
“W career”
Check out Aubin-Mercier's entire retirement announcement below:
Olivier Aubin-Mercier hopes to have inspired more fighters from Quebec to thrive in PFL
Canadian MMA once flourished due to the star power of Georges St-Pierre. Unfortunately, ‘The Great White North’ has recently lacked elite competition throughout the world, with Olivier Aubin-Mercier’s success being an outlier.
During the previously mentioned retirement announcement, Aubin-Mercier had this to say about hoping he inspired more Canadians to pursue a career with the PFL:
“As I move on from competition, I hope that the path I've trodden serves as an invitation to other Quebecois fighters. May you find in the PFL the same support, the same faith, and the same opportunities to showcase our Québécois tenacity.”
Olivier Aubin-Mercier is retiring with a professional MMA record of 21-5. Although ‘The Canadian Gangster’ didn’t reach his championship expectations in the UFC, he solidified his legacy by winning ten consecutive fights in the PFL, bagging at least $2 million along the way.
