Olivier Aubin-Mercier will defend his Professional Fighters League (PFL) lightweight title in just over a week and his opponent has given him a warning.
“I’m confident, I can’t wait to punch a Canadian in the face. “He’s talking about retiring, I want to give him a reason to retire,” said American Clay Collard during a video conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Collard was succinct and economical with his words, but he made it clear that he wants to inflict a first defeat on the Quebecer, who has a record of nine wins in as many fights in the PFL since 2021.
Aubin-Mercier is the reigning lightweight champion after defeating Stevie Ray by knockout. during the 2022 final.
The two men will meet next Friday in Washington for the final, where the winner will receive a million dollar prize.
He is delirious
A journalist pointed out to Collard that in a recent interview with Aubin-Mercier he had the impression that the reigning champion did not perceive his opponent as a threat.
“He’s insane, he’s very bad at wrestling, his punches are correct, but if he looks down on me, that’s a mistake,” Collard insisted.
He was a wrestler as a teenager and then turned to mixed martial arts. Due to financial hardship, he then tried his luck in boxing. He is therefore strong in the end, while Aubin-Mercier is an accomplished judoka. How can he dominate his opponent?
“He has to control the distance, in judo you have to be close, he has to get out of my hand to use his judo and they are dangerous,” Collard warned.
Clay Collard is a hard hitter who wants to make life difficult for Olivier Aubin-Mercier. AFP
Hard hitter
Collard is also in his third season in the PFL and has a record of six wins and two losses. However, he is perfect in three fights in 2023.
In the semifinals, he had an anthology bout against Shane Burgos, landing more than 430 punches in three five-minute rounds.
Meanwhile, Burgos attacked his legs with kicks and Collard finished the fight on one leg.
“I would have finished him in the second round if I hadn’t been injured. His kicks to my legs hurt me. I have no trace of these injuries, I was fine again a few days later,” he insisted.
For his part, Aubin-Mercier defeated the Brazilian Bruno Miranda by knockout. technically in the other semi-final.
The hoped-for fight
Clay Collard wasn’t flamboyant in this interview, unlike Bubba Jenkins and Chris Wade, two featherweights who insulted each other for a good fifteen minutes before Collard took his turn.
The Utah fighter preferred to keep his statements short and moderate, but he revealed that he will find the opponent he wanted in the finals.
“I said from the start that I would play him in the final and win.”
If it is probably the swansong for Aubin-Mercier, it is far from the case for Collard, who thinks big and finds his motivation elsewhere than in the sum of a million dollars paid to the winner.
“I have been working on becoming a champion since I started. Money is a bonus. The possibility of winning a world title motivates me much more than the million dollars.
Collard also mentioned that he intends to buy a house if he wins because the house he owns is too small for his family.