One of the first things you notice when you walk through the modest entrance of the Ville-Émard gymnasium where Olivier Aubin-Mercier trains is the large gold check for US$1 million the fighter received after his triumph in the lightweight playoff final. in there Professional Fighter League (PFL) in November 2022.
An important victory that allowed the 34-year-old Quebecer to afford a certain “peace of mind”, but far from changing his perspective on the ruthless industry in which he has evolved for more than a century now. Even if Aubin-Mercier is two victories away from repeating his feat of last year, he is mostly eager for his suffering to end.
“I have no motivation. It is unmotivated Olilaunched Aubin-Mercier to the journalists who came to meet him just over a week before his semi-final against Brazilian Bruno Miranda that he will deliver on August 23 at the legendary Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.
“It’s funny to say, but I don’t feel stressed anymore [à l’approche de mes combats]. Sometimes I find myself a little sadistic knowing that I am against guys who say they have never been so motivated in their lives, that they are doing this for their family, their heritage … Then, finally, I planted them. . I feel a little poor, because I’m being honest, but that’s how I feel. I think more about what’s going on in my life than about my struggles.
“Is it [à cause] action? The less motivation? I don’t know… but the positive news is I did my homework. I am [au gymnase] every day, I still love training. It’s just that the fight as such, it may not be the same motivation. It’s strange to say, but I almost became the guy who will fight and see his opponent is the one who will finish me so that I can live in peace. I say that, but in reality, once the fight starts, I will give my 100 percent and in training I will give more than my 100 percent. I’m still diligent, it’s just that the motivation isn’t there anymore. »
The weight of the years visibly begins to weigh heavily on the shoulders of the man who fought 12 fights in the UFC between April 2014 and July 2019 and is less and less excited about the idea of entering the octagon and above all. , to be subject to the inevitable obligations attached to it.
“We move forward in life, new things happen and the priorities are just not in the same place, explained the father of an 11-year-old girl. I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish last year and I’m starting to get tired. I have a lot of passion for the sport, I love to train and it’s fight week I find particularly difficult.
“You have to answer the same questions for a week. “What are you? game plan?” I am more tempted to replay the same cases. And there is also a certain anxiety in that. To have to fight in front of my family, my parents, who are delighted but don’t like to see me fight. There is a danger in entering the octagon. Bruno (Miranda, his next opponent, editor’s note) could knock me out with one punch. He is a dangerous guy. »
Aubin-Mercier is also surprised that the acute nausea he feels remains a rather taboo subject in mixed martial arts or boxing. Athletes like Kevin Bizier have already declared that he doesn’t like boxing anymore due to their very legitimate frustration with regimentation.
“I haven’t had any friends for two years, laments the left-wing fighter. When they forced me to cut weight every month and a half, I no longer drink and I no longer go out. I always loved positive restaurants and positive wine, but it’s no longer possible. Everything leading up to this week, I start triple less. Despite everything, these are the pre-millenial answers in which the athletes say that they have never been so motivated in their lives for a fight as a people hear
“nonetheless, if people saw what happens in reality, it’s difficult. Some athletes try to make us believe that during training camp, it’s just high, motivation…
“He is difficult. You have a family, you deprive yourself a lot, you just think about it. During months, you will dream of your opponent, when you should not stop thinking about other people than your loved ones. It’s really special. Some athletes are like [moi] but nobody wants to show it. No one wants to show that there is a crack on the egg. To be honest, all this motivational stuff, I’ve always found it really, really corny. »
But why continue to impose this form, when the desire to stop is there?
“For cashbut in reality cash, it’s shit, answered Aubin-Mercier first. But there is still something special about being a two-time champion, almost unheard of there Professional Fighter League. And I will be able to be a barista until the end of my days and not be stressed. I buy myself time for me and my family, to be delighted. I didn’t want a 9 to 5 job because I’m lazy. I want time for me. »
Basically, Aubin-Mercier intends to retire after his victory in the final of this edition of the PFL qualifiers due for November 24, but at the same time he does not exclude the possibility of a return if the organization allows him to make one. last lap in front of his family. “There’s something very, very poetic about it,” he fantasizes out loud. If I feel that it is the right thing to do, then I will do it. But if I see that I do not feel at all, I will not put any pressure on myself [pour revenir disputer un dernier combat].
“A few years ago, I wrote in a diary where I wanted to go in my career and there was a paragraph saying when I should stop. It was about passion, motivation and injury. That if one of the three was missing, then we should stop because it could become dangerous. And for the past few months, one of the three has clearly disappeared. »
Aubin-Mercier even mentioned the possibility of not participating in the final if he beats Miranda on August 23. “If I see that it does not attract me, I will consider it. It is always a power move! »
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