2023 PFL 3: Olivier Aubin-Mercier spoils Shane Burgos’ debut, wins unanimous decision

2022 PFL champ Olivier Aubin-Mercier spoiled Shane Burgos’ PFL debut.

[autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] continued his unbeaten run on Friday night.

The 2022 PFL lightweight champion spoiled [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag]’ debut in PFL, as he outpointed him to win a unanimous decision. It was a clean 30-27 across all judges’ scorecard.

The 155-pound bout went down at 2023 PFL 3 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

The first round was pretty evenly contested. Both traded many leg kicks and were also able to connect cleanly with punches. Neither fighter wobbled or stunned the other. However, Aubin-Mercier (18-5) did seem to be a bit more ahead. There was a clean uppercut that connected, that dropped Burgos’ (15-4) mouthpiece. He also seemed to have a bit cleaner shots and his jab was on point.

The second was very similar to the first. They were pretty evenly matched on the feet, with Aubin-Mercier slightly ahead. About halfway through, Aubin-Mercier shot for a takedown and pressed Burgos against the cage. It took a bit for Aubin-Mercier to get the takedown, but he eventually got it. Burgos got right back up, but had his back taken while standing. Aubin-Mercier pretty much controlled Burgos against the cage with little damage until the end of the round.

Aubin-Mercier went immediately back to the ground in the third. He closed the distance and took down Burgos against the cage. Burgos did a great job at defending and would get up numerous times, but Aubin-Mercier kept on him and would drag him back down to the canvas.

Aubin-Mercier controlled Burgos for the majority of the round, but in the final 30 seconds Burgos was able to break free and land heavy combos on Aubin-Mercier, cutting him over the eye. The flurry was not enough to win him the round on the judges’ eyes.

With this win, Aubin-Mercier remains unbeaten since his UFC release in 2019. He’s currently on a seven-fight winning streak – a run that saw him win the 2022 PFL lightweight season and now get a three point start to the 2023 season.

On the other hand, Burgos was unable to start his PFL run on a high note and score points in hopes to make it to the playoffs. The defeat also snapped a two-fight winning streak for Burgos, as he had outpointed Billy Quarantillo and Charles Jourdain in previous outings. Burgos fought out his contract with the UFC and signed with the PFL in late 2022.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 3.