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BRAIN ATHLETE SPORTZ

Raush Manfio views PFL 4 fight with Olivier Aubin-Mercier as his biggest problem this season

Reigning PFL lightweight champion Raush Manfio thinks Olivier Aubin-Mercier is the most dangerous matchup for him this season.

Manfio (16-3) is off to a good start, scoring a come-from-behind knockout of Don Madge at 2022 PFL 1 in April. He faces another ex-UFC fighter in Aubin-Mercier (14-5), who edged out back-to-back tournament winner Natan Schulte to kick off his 2022 campaign. Having scored four points against Madge, Manfio won’t chase the finish against Aubin-Mercier when they square off Friday at PFL 4, which takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

“Olivier, I think our fight is gonna be very technical,” Manfio told MMA Junkie Radio. “Strategically, I think he is the guy who can create more problems for me in the whole season. Even if I’m not happy with my last performance, I know exactly what I could do better for the last fight and the moment I step on the gas, I finished the fight.

“But for this fight specifically, I’m looking to win every single round and to not give him space or go crazy after him. I don’t need to do that. I’m really happy to finish this fight and win by points and focus on every single round, do my best, score my points because I really want to go to the playoffs, so every fight we want to win. But that fight specifically, I’m prepared to fight him every single round and not rush nothing and guarantee a victory.”

Although he won the lightweight title last season, Manfio finds himself an underdog once again by the oddsmakers, and he loves it.

“Every time I step in there as an underdog, it’s gonna sound even better when I share my history in the future,” Manfio said. “The Brazilian underdog did it again. I have goosebumps right now because it’s not just about me. I know where I was. That Cinderella story was real. It was like impossible to get where I got last year and if I’m the underdog again now, I have this good feeling.”

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