Olivier Aubin-Mercier on Rising Popularity, Talking to Fans about his Bidet
If fans want to talk to Olivier Aubin-Mercier, he is happy to oblige, but they should be prepared for any direction the conversation might go.
Aubin-Mercier (18-5, 7-0 PFL) needs a victory over fellow Canadian fighter Anthony Romero if he wants to qualify for the playoffs and hopefully repeat the success by capturing the 155-pound championship twice in a row. Ahead of his 2023 PFL 6 assignment, “The Canadian Gangster” confessed his recent clash with fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship alum Shane Burgos was surprisingly easy for him. He doesn’t expect the same kind of fight with Romero, an up-and-coming fighter looking to make an impact in his Regular Season debut. Aubin-Mercier also mentioned people are increasingly congratulating him, admitting he enjoys the attention and interaction with fans. The Canadian fighter also embraces his unique personality as he likes to joke with his fans and even make them uncomfortable by talking about his bidet. In doing so, he’s differentiating himself from more classic sports figures like teammate and former UFC two-division champion Georges St. Pierre.
“Normally [fans] are respectful. If they're respectful, I really don't care, and I like to talk to them as it's always fun to talk to them. Sometimes, I tell them, ‘I'm really in a hurry,’ and they still try to talk to me, and I’m really nice, but I'm firm. If they try to, I'm like, ‘No, I really have to go right now. I'm sorry. Like I said, I'm in a hurry.’ Normally, I have time, and I spend a lot of time doing that. Normally, I talk to them, and I'm always trying to make them uncomfortable, to talk too much and talk to them about my bidet and stuff like that. Some random stuff. I like the idea that maybe this guy is gonna talk to his friend and tell them, ‘Yeah, I saw “The Canadian Gangster,” and he talked about his bidet for five minutes to me.’ I think that makes me laugh, you know?”
(00:00) Intro
(01:10) His take on Romero
(02:50) Whether he’s bothered by facing another Canadian
(03:50) His fight with Burgos
(06:00) What he expects from the bout with Romero
(06:33) His rise in popularity
(08:04) Making his fans uncomfortable sometimes
(10:26) Outro