Olivier Aubin-Mercier Stumps Frustrated Shane Burgos in PFL 3 Headliner

The Olivier Aubin-Mercier riddle remains unsolved in the Professional Fighters League.

Aubin-Mercier (18-5, 7-0 PFL) opened the defense of his 2022 lightweight title with a unanimous decision over fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Shane Burgos in their PFL 3 headliner on Friday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. All three members of the cageside judiciary struck 30-27 scorecards for the Canadian.

Burgos (15-4, 0-1 PFL) did not enjoy his organizational debut. Aubin-Mercier outstruck him in the first round, then turned to other means. He stymied Burgos with clinches across the final 10 minutes, climbed to the back with standing body triangles on two occasions and stole valuable time from an increasingly frustrated opponent. Not until the final 20 seconds of the fight did Burgos break free with knees and punches, but by then, the die had been cast.

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Meanwhile, multi-punch volleys to the body and head paired with airtight submission defense and unbreakable resolve carried ex-Showdown Fights titleholder Clay Collard to a unanimous decision over Yamato Nishikawa in the three-round lightweight co-main event. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Collard (22-10, 4-2 PFL), who posted his sixth win in eight outings.

Nishikawa (21-4-6, 0-1 PFL) was game. He tore into Collard’s legs with repeated kicks in an effort to blow up the boxer’s base and nearly succeeded. Hobbled but undeterred, the Team Bonafide product engaged Nishikawa at close range, firing away with savage punching bursts, many of them to the body. Collard assumed top position in Round 3 after his adversary slipped, dodged a series of attempted triangle chokes and piled up points with effective ground-and-pound.

The setback was the 20-year-old Nishikawa’s first since Dec. 9, 2018 and halted his 14-fight winning streak.

Elsewhere, former Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder Denis Goltsov shredded “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 1 winner Cezar Ferreira with punches in the first round of their heavyweight attraction. A short-notice substitution for Patrick Brady, Ferreira (14-11, 1-3 PFL) checked out 2:07 into Round 1.

The 32-year-old Goltsov (30-7, 8-2 PFL) controlled the center of the cage and answered the undersized Brazilian’s speed with a combination of brute force and textbook technique. He lured Ferreira into the clinch, pushed him toward the fence and executed a trip takedown. From there, he postured up in half guard and uncorked punches with increasing intensity until Ferreira lay unconscious.

Goltsov has rattled off three consecutive victories.

Further down the card, Thai Brasil standout Carlos Leal Miranda won for the 12th time in 13 appearances, as he buried David Zawada with punches in the first round of their welterweight showcase. Zawada (18-8, 0-1 PFL) succumbed to blows 2:25 into Round 1.

Everything went according to plan for Miranda (18-4, 2-1 PFL). The onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance grand prix winner crowded the German with stinging leg kicks and accurate power punches. Zawada attempted to return fire, only to walk into a trap. Miranda wobbled him with a chopping overhand right on the counter, gave chase with punches and pinned the UFD Gym rep to the cage. One final right hand from the Brazilian dropped Zawada where he stood and forced referee Kerry Hatley to intervene.

The 32-year-old Zawada has lost three of his last four fights.

Finally, Eagles MMA export Magomed Umalatov kept his perfect professional record intact and did so in style, as he cut down Dilano Taylor with punches in the first round of their welterweight feature. Umalatov (13-0, 4-0 PFL) brought it to a close 1:31 into Round 1.

Taylor (10-4, 2-3 PFL) tested the waters with his jab but failed to manage distance properly. Umalatov stepped into a crushing counter right hand, followed his dazed adversary across the cage and unleashed a pair of surgical shots to the head—a sweeping left hook and another right—that sealed the deal.

It was the ninth first-round finish of Umalatov’s career.

In other action, Natan Schulte (24-5-1, 13-2-1 PFL) took a unanimous decision from Steven Ray (25-12, 2-3 PFL) in a three-round lightweight tilt, drawing 30-27 scores from all three judges; Sadibou Sy (14-6-2, 8-4-2 UFC) wiped out Jarrah Al-Silawi (18-5, 1-2 PFL) with a knee to the body and follow-up punches 1:14 into the second round of their welterweight contest; Magomed Magomedkerimov (31-6, 13-1 PFL) brought down Ben Egli (14-5, 0-2 PFL) with a head kick 1:03 into the first round of their welterweight clash; Raush Manfio (17-4, 6-1 PFL) was awarded a unanimous verdict—29-28, 29-28, 30-27—over Alex Martinez (10-4, 3-4 PFL) in a three-round lightweight confrontation; Bruno Miranda (15-3, 1-0 PFL) notched a unanimous decision over Ahmed Amir (12-4-1, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round lightweight pairing, earning 30-27 scores from all three members of the cageside judiciary; Nayib Lopez Miranda (16-0, 1-0 PFL) grinded his way to a unanimous decision over Shane Mitchell (13-5, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round welterweight encounter, netting 29-27 scores across the board; and Zach Juusola (14-9, 1-0 PFL) laid claim to a unanimous verdict over Brandon Jenkins (16-10, 1-1 PFL) in a three-round welterweight scrap, sweeping the scorecards with 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27 marks from the judges.