Aaron Pico gets set for UFC debut in Chicago

Fans from Southern California have known of the name Aaron Pico for a long time. The long time prospect, has finally turned into a contender. Signed at the age of 18 to a Bellator MMA contract the Wrestling sensation made his transition wrestling and amateur boxing into the sport of MMA turning pro right from the start. Pico who was long positioned to compete for the Bellator MMA belt last fought Feb 2024 when he beat Henry Corrales in his only appearance with the PFL MMA following the Bellator MMA acquisition.

With big wins over Henry Corrales (revenged an upset loss) Pedro Carvalho, James Gonzales–building off the momentum of his injury in 2022 when he faced Jeremy Kennedy and suffered a dislocated shoulder (fans will remember his corner trying to put it back in) Pico has baad huge strides since the fighter who lost back-to-back fights in 2019 nearly 6 years ago.

Stepping into the UFC octagon for the first time Pico will challenge the undefeated Lerone Murphy of Manchester Top Team. Currently 8-0 in the UFC and 16-0 as a professional Murphy might have the bigger names on his resume despite the underdog status of the betters. Wins over Josh Emmett, Dan Ige, Edson Barbosa, Makwan AmirKhani, have proven that Lerone Murphy is a well rounded fighter with a good fight IQ.

Pico who had asked the PFL MMA to waive his rights to match portion of his contract eventually left the Professional Fighters League to sign with the UFC. Previously Patchy Mix made similar demands only to suffer a loss in his UFC debut. Do you think Aaron Pico will have a case of the ‘octagon jitters’ ahead of his UFC debut or do you think a strong performance sets him up for a world title fight?