Aaron Pico is ready for his second chance to make a first impression after a disappointing start to his UFC career.
This Saturday’s UFC 327 preliminaries close out with Pico fighting fellow former Bellator star Patricio Pitbull in a featherweight bout that will be simulcast on CBS and Paramount+. Once again, Pico finds himself in the spotlight, as his first octagon appearance saw him take on Lerone Murphy at UFC 319 with a title shot potentially on the line. Unfortunately for Pico, the bout ended
with him being knocked out cold by a spectacular Murphy spinning backfist.
For fans of Pico, it was hard to watch. For the fighter himself, he admits the loss weighed heavily on him in the aftermath.
“I’m not going to lie, after the last loss, I took it a little bit hard,” Pico said at UFC 327 media day. “I was really embarrassed and had some down days. It’s just part of the game, especially when you put a lot of work into it. That’s what fans sometimes don’t understand. I’m very thankful for the fans, don’t get me wrong, but then you also get the fans that criticize and say certain things, but they don’t see the behind the scenes, how much work, the hunger pangs before bed because you’re cutting weight. The toll it takes on families and things like that and you put your life and soul into it and to come up short, especially on a big stage like that, I took it really, really hard.
“It was OK, though, after a few weeks with my son and traveling and spending a lot of time in Morocco, one thing I always know is that the sun rises the next morning. My son loves me and my family’s got me and yeah, just got to get back on the horse. It was very difficult, but I’m back now, so all good.”
Pico has always been known for his all-or-nothing style, with only two of his 18 pro bouts making it to the scorecards. Win or lose, a Pico fight typically ends with a body laid out on the canvas and someone adding a clip to their highlight reel. At UFC 319, it was Murphy’s turn to come out on top.
With his first loss in almost three years, Pico and his team took a step back to consider why things went south for the 29-year-old against Murphy after a promising start.
“It sounds weird, because in a way I’m actually—I don’t like to say this—but I’m happy that it kind of happened because I really had to take a good look in the mirror and assess my game, especially fighting in the UFC,” Pico said. “Sometimes you can get away with it with guys who are not skilled. You can just go in there and bulldoze guys over and throw punches and do whatever, but when you’re fighting Lerone Murphy, he’s No. 2 in the world, fighting any guy really in the UFC, you have to be very smart. I just got overexcited and it felt good and wasn’t really thinking and got caught.
“Basically what I’m saying is I had to really work on a few things, fight IQ, movement, footwork, just all-around things. I did that, I’ve been training the last three months and working on a new style and just different things and I’m excited on Saturday night to show it.”
Does this mean Pico will be a completely different fighter on Saturday?
“I think what fans should expect is Aaron Pico just having fun and not putting so much pressure like I have to get a knockout, I have to get a takedown,” Pico said. “Just fighting free, using my footwork, my head movement, takedown when I need to get a takedown, but ultimately when I’m having fun, I’m using all my skills, good things happen.”
