In a battle, which went all five rounds, mixed martial arts legend Olivier Aubin-Mercier walked away with his hand raised and with a second PFL Championship belt under his arm, by defeating Clay Collard by unanimous decision in the Professional Fighters League 2023 season finale.
Although Collard put up a great fight, Aubin-Mercier - a protégé of Georges St-Pierre - took all three judges' scorecards (49-46, 49-46 and 49-46) by dominating the canvas with wrenches and his leg strength that limited much of the Utah native's striker work.
With the shadow of retirement looming over him, Aubin-Mercier ruled out making a definitive decision on his future, but noted that he needs to take some time off with his family, as he had promised.
In a show that distributed six million dollars, one to each champion, in the co-featured fight of the night, heavyweight Renan Ferreira managed to survive a complicated first round, and then ended the hopes of Denis Goltsov with a knockout in the second episode.
The best fight of the night, for the aggressiveness and heart shown, was in charge of the now champion Larisa Pacheco who took the victory with a unanimous decision by dispatching Marina Mokhnatkina, who despite being the underdog came out with a moral victory by finishing the fight standing up.
Don't miss the recap of the rest of the fights here: