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PFL welterweight tournament finalist David Michaud spoke to FanSided about bouncing back from setbacks ahead of his New Year’s Eve bout with Ray Cooper III.

The Pro Fighters League playoffs are tailor-made for feel-good stories. With just a couple wins, any fighter — no matter how he had performed previously or how well he’s able to market himself — can find himself fighting for a million-dollar prize. Last year, fighters like Louis Taylor and Sean O’Connell beat the odds to walk away millionaire champions.

This year’s feel-good story is David Michaud.

A former Division I wrestler, Michaud made his way to the UFC at age 25, just seven fights into his then-undefeated professional career. The future was undeniably bright.

Michaud would go 1-2 in the UFC and was even given a new four-fight contract following his second loss. But the promotion failed to give him any fights and subsequently released him from the deal. Michaud’s still-young and still-promising career seemed to have fallen off track.

“It was a low point, probably the lowest point in my career,” Michaud told FanSided. “Because I felt like that was where I was going to be for my whole career. I was going to get a lot of wins, make some money, and get to the top 10.”

Despite his unexpected release from the UFC, Michaud remained positive, trusting he was still on the right path.

“I felt like I was still in a good spot. I knew the work I was putting in, the people I was working with. Everything was going to lead to a good career and good performances.”

For the next four years, Michaud fought for a variety of promotions around the country, racking up seven wins and two losses in that time. In 2019, the PFL signed Michaud to compete in the second season of its welterweight playoffs. His career seemed back on track.

“When I got signed to PFL, I thought ‘this is it.’ I finally worked my way back into one of the bigger organizations where I can make some money, so I’m on a high. Things were going good. I’m feeling good. I have a good camp; I have a great camp,” he said.

Then, in a blink (17 seconds, to be exact), Michaud lost his PFL debut by TKO to Swiss kickboxer Sadibou Sy.

“Things are working out, then I go out there and get melted in 15 seconds. It’s not ideal, obviously.”

Again, Michaud relied on the power of positive thinking and trusted in his training. Even just minutes after the defeat, Michaud refused to allow himself to wallow in misery. Given the structure of the PFL season, with its regular season followed by a playoff tournament, Michaud knew he had no choice but to prepare for his next fight.

“The result wasn’t what we wanted, obviously,” he said. “But the work was good. Everything going into that fight was great. If we can do that again, the result won’t be the same. I know. I just know.”

Just two months later and his back against the wall, Michaud bounced back with a TKO victory over Handesson Ferreira. Michaud was a four-to-one underdog. The finish was important because it meant he would be awarded just enough points to sneak into the eight-man tournament as the No. 7 seed.

Three months after that, Michaud won back-to-back fights in one night, defeating John Howard and the top-seeded Glaico Franca in the span of just a few hours. The wins punched Michaud’s ticket to the tournament finals, where he will meet Ray Cooper III on New Year’s Eve for the PFL championship and a million-dollar purse.

Michaud is an Oglala Lakota Native American and welcomes the opportunity to represent his tribe on a big stage. He recognizes that his achievements could have an impact on a community that is desperately in need of positive attention.

“I was born on the reservation,” he said. “I lived my whole life there. That’s where I’m from and that’s who I am… All of the people I grew up with are still back home and every time I’m carrying my flag after a win, that gives them pride. That gives everyone from my tribe pride.”

“I don’t really think of myself as anything special,” Michaud continued. “But I’m visible right now. A lot of people see me. So just being able to put a different narrative out there from what most people have about where I’m from is big for me. A lot of people have nothing but bad things to say about where I’m from and my tribe, so being able to change the narrative a little bit is big for me.”

On New Year’s Eve, Michaud will have that opportunity to change the narrative, win a million dollars, earn a major championship title, and live up to the future he saw for himself when he was a 7-0 fighter making his debut in the big leagues in 2014.

Cooper III is a dangerous opponent for any welterweight on earth. A finalist last year, Cooper III is an aggressive knockout artist and one of the faces of the PFL. Michaud, of course, knows this already.

“He’s an exciting fighter,” he said of his opponent. “Everyone wants to watch him fight. He comes out and throws some big hooks and tries to put people away… I fight like that, too. It’s going to be a good fight, an exciting fight.”

Michaud keeps the same positive thoughts that he’s had throughout his decade-long career, the same positive thoughts that he used to bounce back from an early UFC release and a 17-second loss in his PFL debut. Trust in the training, and trust in a positive outcome.

A prediction?

“Second round TKO, my hand getting raised.”

Positive indeed.