Aaron Pico lived up to all of his potential at UFC 327 on Saturday as he punished Patricio Pitbull across three rounds to win an impressive unanimous decision for his first win inside the octagon.
After his debut when awry when he got caught by a devastating spinning back elbow from Lerone Murphy, Pico had something to prove on Saturday and he showcased all of his skill to beat the former multi-time Bellator featherweight champion.
From a devastating striking display to several takedowns, Pico looked
every bit the part of a future champion with the judges giving him the win with the scorecards reading 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Before taking over for the majority of the fight, a stiff counter left hand from Pitbull backed off Pico after a fast start from the American. Pitbull added a nasty leg kick that briefly buckled Pico as he stayed patient picking and choosing his shots.
Pico eventually swooped inside for a takedown but Pitbull was quick to scramble back to his feet to avoid staying on the ground for too long. Despite losing the position, Pico established his striking with a hard shot landed on Pitbull as the featherweights started trading bombs.
As the second round got started, Pico opened with a well-timed left hook that clubbed Pitbull to set the tone. Pico really started putting together his combinations with a nasty body shot and an uppercut that snapped Pitbull’s head back.
A devastating straight right from Pico blasted Pitbull on the chin and the former Bellator champion stumbled backwards, nearly tumbling to the canvas. Pico was really settling into a rhythm with another powerful right hand popping Pitbull right in the mush before scoring another takedown to end the round.
With five minutes remaining, Pico was surging with confidence as he continued to hammer away at Pitbull including continued body shots that were digging directly to the ribs. The damage kept mounting as Pitbull’s face turned to hamburger and Pico kept him guessing by returning to his wrestling with repeated takedowns.
There was no doubt when it was over that Pico did more than enough to win as he gets his first victory in the UFC and establishes himself as a featherweight contender to watch in 2026 and beyond.
