Shane Burgos’ PFL debut comes with relief on several levels

There’s a weight off the shoulders of Shཧane Burgos as he begins his post-ꦆUFC run in the PFL.

There’s also a little extra weight on his shoulders as he begins his post-featherweight run at li🅠ghtweight.

Fair to say it’s new beginnings all ar🤡ound for Bronx-born native of Monroe, NY on Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2 & ESPN+) in Las Vegas.

“I think it’s gonna be phenomenal,” Burgos told The Post this week via Zoom, when asked how he expected his body to respond up a weight class for the first time when he faced Oliv♏ier Aubin-Mercier.

“I honestly can’t wait to ju🍸st feel that feeling of being … My last one was brutal. Not the actual weight cut but the rehydration process. I just did not feel good. I felt so lethargic. That was another kick in ﷽my ass to be like, ‘Dude, what are you doing? It’s time to do [155 pounds].’”

Burgos (15-3, 10 finishes) sai﷽d he hired a nutrit꧃ionist for this first foray into the lightweight division, which comes five months after he suffered a knee injury while training for his initial planned PFL debut last November at featherweight.

That fight was scrapped when Burgos, who signed as a free agent with PFL last August for what he described on “The MMA Hour” at the time as ꧒“an offer I couldn’t turn it [down].”

Several UFC veterans have made their way over to the PFL in recent years, but B⛎urgos’ case is unique as he is coming off a win and remains in his fighting prime.

UFC president Dana White, shortly after Burgos’ move to PFL was announced, told reporters “we f–ked that one up,” and would have preferred to keep him in the fold, something he has not said in the case of others.

The 32-year-old has not specified how much better his financial compensation will be compared to his UFC contract, but he noted t❀hat it’s a relief for him to have more financial security going into this fight than he’s ever had before.

“It’s relieving; it really is,” Burgos said. “It’s a huge, I guess you could say, financial weight off my shoulders. I’ve been compensated very well. To win the entire [PFL season], it’s a million dollars. But my fights leading up to that, it’s gonna be nice to look back at my bank account and be like, alright, I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this sport, and this s–t is paying off, financially and for my family too. Just to be able to give them everything that they need and want, it’s gonna be awesome.”

To win the $1 million prize at the end of the season,🍨 he’ll have to earn enough points o෴ver his first two fights to qualify for the playoffs.

That journey begins against the last man to win the PFL lig♒htweight season: Olivier Aubin-Mercier.

Himself a UFC veteran who departed the promotion following losses 🅠to current top-10 talent Gilbert Burns𒐪 and Arman Tsarukyan, Aubin-Mercier (17-5, 10 finishes) has gone 6-0 in the PFL and defeated Stevie Ray — another UFC vet — via second-round knockout to win the $1 million prize in November.

“I’m sure his conf🎶idence is riding high right now,” Burgos said of Aubin-Mercier and his six-fight win streak. “I think what makes him so dangerous is that he already went through the entire season and he won the thing. So he knows what to expect. He’s been there before. So it’s not an easy fight off the bat, but I’d rather it that way. I’m f🗹resh and ready to go.”

Burgos seems to have a healthy respect for the challenges of the PFL’s format, which typically would 🃏require a fighter to compete four times in a seven-month span in order to win the annual championship. 

During his 10-year MMA career, 🍬Burgos has competed three times in a calendar year just once — with regional promotion Cage Fury FC before catching the UFC’s attention — and has never fought four times in seven months.

“Once you’re done fighting [one bout], you’re not done,” Burgos noted. “You’re in it for the long haul. Or you’re not; if you’re not in it for the long haul, you’re gonna see 𝓰your ass out the door. I’m trying to be in it from the first fi🔯ght to the fourth fight.”

And wܫhile Burgos is aware that he’ll have to quickly pivot to the second and final leg of the PFL season, likely in June or July based on the typical schedule, he’s not getting ahead o𝄹f himself and the upcoming battle against Aubin-Mercier.

“I’ll worry about that part once I’m done with the first fight,” Burgos says. 𒁃“Right now, it’s just the task at hand, and I’m focused solely on April 14.”