Olivier Aubin-Mercier remains the class of the PFL lightweight division.
Already the reigning 2022 champion, Aubin-Mercier (19-5) put a stamp on his conquest of this year’s regular season with a highlight-reel knockout of Anthony Romero (12-2) on Friday in the main event of PFL 6, which took place at Atlanta’s Overtime Elite Arena.
Aubin-Mercier overcame a bumpy start after getting rocked with a crescent kick early in the first round, then dealing with three separate accidental clashes of heads in the second frame. But he found his mark just 28 seconds into Round 3, catching Romero flush with a perfectly timed left knee strike to coast into the 2023 lightweight playoffs and preserve his undefeated promotional run.
Aubin-Mercier is now a perfect 8-0 since signing with the PFL following a 12-fight stint with the UFC.
As lightweight’s No. 2 seed, Aubin-Mercier faces 2018 and 2019 PFL champion Natan Schulte next in the semifinals, with the bracket’s $1 million grand prize still up for grabs.
In the night’s co-main event, much like Aubin-Mercier, Sadibou Sy (15-6-2) continued to make a statement in his quest to be a back-to-back PFL welterweight champion.
The defending 2022 champ pulled off one of the wildest highlights of his five years under the PFL umbrella, demolishing Shane Mitchell (13-6-0) with walk-off spinning wheel kick at 1:35 of the third round. Sy threw the kick numerous times through the bout and even nearly caught Mitchell clean with it in the opening round, but his persistence eventually paid off.
“I’m so proud to be back. Five seasons, I’ve been in the playoffs every year,” a grinning Sy said afterward. “I just told the bosses, ‘Thank you for allowing me to grow in PFL.’ I believe everyone that’s been following can see the difference between the first season to now, getting the takedown when I need to, when I want to. And more to come.”
With the win, Sy locked up a No. 2 seed in the welterweight playoffs and a semifinals rematch against Carlos Leal, who he previously defeated via decision in 2022’s semifinals.
Shane Burgos’ first season with PFL will end without a playoff appearance.
The UFC veteran picked up his first victory under the promotion’s banner with a dominant unanimous decision over Yamato Nishikawa (21-5-6), however it wasn’t enough to keep Burgos (16-4) in the running for the $1 million grand prize. A significant free agent signing for PFL, Burgos outclassed Nishikawa every round with a steady diet of takedowns and ground-and-pound from top control, earning a trio of unanimous 30-26 scores in his favor.
Because he suffered a hard-fought decision loss to Aubin-Mercier in his promotional debut, Burgos needed a first-round finish of Nishikawa to advance into the lightweight playoffs.
Magomed Magomedkerimov (32-6) continues to be a force in the PFL welterweight division.
The 2018 champion and 2021 runner-up breezed through David Zawada (18-9) with a first-round TKO to secure a No. 1 seed in this year’s playoffs. Magomedkerimov pressured Zawada against the fence then battered him with five consecutive right hands to lock up his second first-round finish of the season and stay alive for another shot at a $1 million check.
“I don’t see any danger for me in this division,” Magomedkerimov coldly said afterward.
In a battle of unbeaten welterweights, Magomed Umalatov (14-0) may have emerged with a win over Nayib Lopez (16-1), but he certainly had to earn it.
It was a stunning display of heart from Lopez, as the Mexican fighter was nearly finished multiple times in the first round. Umalatov emptied his clip early, locking up a tight arm-triangle choke attempt followed by an absurd volley of unanswered strikes, yet somehow, incredibly, Lopez survived and shifted the bout into a grueling war of attrition.
In the end, a visibly exhausted Umalatov walked away victorious, winning a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-27 to advance to the welterweight playoffs.
The No. 4 seed Umalatov will now face top-seeded Magomedkerimov in the semifinals.
Clay Collard (23-10) is hoping the third time is the charm.
In his third PFL season, the fan-favorite lightweight punched his ticket to the 2023 playoffs in emphatic fashion, ending the run of Stevie Ray (25-13) with a vicious second-round knockout. After surviving Ray’s submission game in the opening round, Collard dropped the Scottish veteran twice with punches in the second frame before sealing the deal with a barrage of grounded punches and elbows at the 1:04 mark of Round 2.
The win put Collard’s record at 2-0 for the 2023 regular season and earned him his second PFL playoff appearance after losing to Raush Manfio in the 2021 lightweight semifinals.
“Man, I’m going all the way. That’s why I do this s***, right?” Collard said. “So we’ve been working hard. I’ve got my eyes on last year’s champ, Mercier. He’s smart, he’s tough. He’s who I have my eyes on. We’ll see what happens with everybody else, but he’s the man to beat right now and I think I’m the man to do it.”
Collard now enters the lightweight playoffs as the No. 1 seed, where he’ll face No. 4 seeded Bruno Miranda in the semifinals.