Patricio Pitbull vs. Aaron Pico seemed inevitable for years in Bellator, but Pico couldn’t earn a shot at the belt when Pitbull reigned as the 145-pound champion. They will finally meet Saturday under the UFC banner, as part of UFC 327 in Miami, and the Brazilian expects a difficult clash on April 11.
Pico suffered a brutal knockout in his octagon debut, floored by Lerone Murphy with an epic spinning elbow in August 2025, and Pitbull enters his third UFC fight looking for his second straight victory
in the UFC after topping Dan Ige in July.
“I’m very happy,” Pitbull told MMA Fighting. “It’s a matchup I’ve wanted for many years. He’s a very tough guy. He had a fight against Murphy where we all knew the winner would be close to a title shot, so I’m happy even though he isn’t ranked.”
Pitbull built a legendary career in Bellator, becoming a two-division champion with a record of 24-6 and 14 finishes. The Brazilian turns 39 in July, but is more than confident in his abilities to finish Pico in Miami and chase another title.
“He has stone hands and glass chin, right?” Pitbull said of Pico, who had 13 of his 18 bouts end by knockout — nine wins and five losses. “It’s a very interesting contrast in one fighter. He has the kind of power that can take a giant’s head off, but also the kind of chin that can get him dropped with a slap to the ear, let’s say.”
“Despite being aggressive, and bringing a lot of danger with the pressure he applies, his style actually favors my game,” he continued. “I’m a counter striker, and he comes forward. In boxing, we say he walks into punches, he’s coming in to get hit. He throws with a lot of intent, so he’s also there to be hit. He moves forward a lot, and there’s a delay between his steps. All of that fits into my game plan. On paper, everything is laid out perfectly. We’ve completely broken down how I fight, and I expect to execute my strategy in the fight.”
Pitbull said that Pico is as aggressive today as he was in his Bellator days, but made a mistake against Murphy that cost him the fight.
“If you watch his fight against Murphy, he started by throwing heavy shots, applying forward pressure and controlling the pace,” Pitbull said. “Even though he suffered a big knockout, he’s not the kind of guy you think, ‘Oh, this will be an easy, fun fight.’ No, it won’t be. I know the danger he brings. He knocked out a lot of people in Bellator, and those are the kind of knockouts where the opponent goes out cold, not the kind where the guy drops and keeps moving. He hits really hard.”
Pitbull was scheduled to face Losene Keita in September, two months after his debut loss to Yair Rodriguez, but the newcomer missed weight and the bout was called off. Pitbull said he was still hoping to fight again in 2025 but “miscommunication with the organization” led to a delay. He decided to have surgery in December and fix a broken nose suffered against Ige, and returns 100 percent prepare to insert himself in the mix for a title shot.
“I’m at a point in my career that’s new to me,” Pitbull said. “For the first time, I don’t see anyone putting my name among the title contenders. And, for me, that’s incredible motivation. It’s exactly what I need. Even though I fought Yair Rodriguez, a former champion, and then beat Dan Ige, who’s a very solid fighter who’s done well against top competition, nobody is putting me in that position.
The former Bellator star had one name in mind for a post-fight callout in Miami, and that is former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. “Funkmaster” is slated to face Youssef Zalal two weeks after UFC 327, headlining the UFC Vegas card on April 25, and Pitbull wants to “shut him up.”
“That would be a good fight,” Pitbull said. “He’s a tricky guy, very grappling-heavy. He gave [Movsar] Evloev a tough fight, and he’s ranked No. 5 in the division. He has a fight coming up, and I believe he’ll win, and maybe keep his spot in the ranking or even pass Yair Rodriguez, who’s been inactive for a while. But we know I’ll have to face someone like that.”
“[Sterling] talked trash at me and then backed off,” he continued. “Now he’s ignored my callouts and attempts to intimidate him. He said in an interview that Bellator guys came to the UFC and were put in their place, so that’s a fight I really want. I want to punch him in the mouth for the things he said and shut him up for a few days.”
