Newest UFC signee Aaron Pico aims to prove all the hype was real

In 2014, now-defunct promotion Bellator MMA signed an 18-year-old Aaron Pico, usually touted as the “LeBron James of MMA” – a can’t-miss prospect destined to turn into a future champion.

At the time, Pico was a FILA (now United World Wrestling or UWW) World Championship winner and a Junior Golden Gloves nationwide champion in boxing as well as to being a U.S. Olympic wrestling hopeful.

Lower than three years later, a 20-year-old Pico would make his skilled combined martial arts debut in opposition to a longtime Zach Freeman, who had an 8-2 file with some excessive stage regional expertise.

The matchmaking would prove to be an enormous lapse in judgment for Bellator MMA, who tried to get their extremely touted prospect on the quick observe, however Freeman dropped Pico with an uppercut and adopted it up with a guillotine choke, handing Pico a loss in his professional debut in simply 24 seconds.

Over the subsequent two years, Pico stayed busy, profitable 4 straight earlier than shedding two in a row as soon as the stage of competitors was elevated.

“I’ve taken some lumps, after all that’s no secret, however I feel I’m effectively on my method to turning into a champion,” Pico informed Sportsnet in Miami throughout UFC 314 combat week. “I don’t need to be a participant on this. I would like to be a champion.”

Pico was by no means shy to have interaction in firefights along with his opponents in the Bellator cage, usually throwing warning to the wind to his detriment.

Ultimately, Pico moved his coaching camp to JacksonWink MMA, which has produced a number of champions, together with most notably all-time nice Jon Jones.

This was the lacking ingredient for Pico, who turned a extra affected person and strategic fighter and he has gone 10-1 since with the lone loss coming due to a shoulder harm that had been aggravated throughout his bout in opposition to Canadian Jeremy Kennedy.

After buying Bellator in 2023, Pico fought out his contract by avenging a loss to Henry Corrales and following a yr of inactivity in 2024, Pico has signed with the UFC.

“I don’t want to change a lot,” Pico defined. “The one factor that has modified is the group that’s says on my shorts, and if I do this I do know every little thing will go in accordance to plan.”

Now 28 years previous, Pico (13-4) is approaching his prime and has the alternative to prove that, regardless of the rising pains, he’s who everybody thought that he was and the greatest method to prove that’s to turn into a champion at the highest stage of the sport.

Pico was in Miami forward of UFC 314 to get a more in-depth take a look at a few of the division’s prime fighters, together with Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes, Yair Rodriguez and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, who at the begin of the yr most would have guessed can be his subsequent opponent in a PFL featherweight championship bout.

“I positively know that the (matchmakers) are all in favour of him,” UFC CEO Dana White mentioned following UFC 311 in January when requested about the promotion’s curiosity in signing Pico.

Now that the UFC matchmakers do have Pico on the roster, the massive query turns into how they match him up.

Initially, rumours had been swirling that he can be going through undefeated Movsar Evloev, nonetheless, Pico confirmed to MMAJunkie’s Mike Bohn that, whereas it was mentioned and each side had been , the bout fell by way of the cracks.

The actual fact it was in negotiations at all exhibits the matchmakers are trying to throw Pico proper into the proverbial hearth by matching him with a extremely ranked opponent in a stacked division.

Whoever he faces in his debut, Pico has the distinctive alternative to prove that the hype surrounding him for greater than a decade was substantiated and that all the refinements over the years will fulfill his future of turning into a champion at the highest stage.