Aaron Pico can relate to Gable Steveson's shocking loss at UFC 331.
Steveson (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when he was knocked out in just 12 seconds by Sean Sharaf (5-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) last Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Pico knows what it's like to be a highly touted prospect that falls. Pico was dubbed as a future champion right off the bat, but had a rough start to his professional career when he went 4-3. He would experience the same disappointing feeling in the octagon when he was knocked out by Lerone Murphy in the UFC 319 co-main event.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it: It sucks big time," Pico told MMA Junkie Radio. "But I've been there before and everybody's process is a little bit different.
I don't know Gable. I know him, but not well. He has the same coaches I do and things like that, but I mean, I can tell you what I did after my last loss on a big stage, obviously the UFC. I fought on the Khamzat card and was the co-main event right out the gate and took a really hard knockout. What I did basically – I mean, like I said, everybody's process is a little bit different, but I'm just being honest with you. I stepped away for a little bit, for a few months and went traveled the world with my family, smoked a lot of cigars. I like cigars, by the way, and just did some thinking and reflecting on what I could have done, what I need to change, and asked myself, do I really want to do this? And the answer was, hell yes, I do, and just got back to work.
"You've got to block out the noise, and I surround myself with people who really care about me and had some tough conversations, especially with my father. There's one person on the planet that's going to really tell you what you need to hear, and that's your dad. So I had some good conversations with my father, and I figured out what I needed to do, what I'm lacking in my game, and just got to work. It sounds so simple, but that's ultimately what you've got to do. Like when you're a young kid, you take a loss on the weekend, on a Saturday, and you're back in the wrestling room on Monday. Obviously, fighting is a little bit different because there's so much pressure and so much media now with the social media, and so many people doing this. You've got outside noise and you've got your pass, but if you really want to do this, get back in the work room and figure out what you need to do."
Pico (14-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has since rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Patricio Freire at UFC 327. He meets Losene Keita (17-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi. While the 30-year-old is in a comfortable and experienced position to give Steveson advice, he admits it's easier said than done.
"I'll be honest, but it's hard because your mind plays tricks on you, especially when you get older," Pico said. "When you're a young kid, it's easy because you don't really have outside influence, you're not really connected. You take a loss, yeah, you cry, it sucks, but then you're back in the wrestling room.
"And I think a lot of people can look back on their journey when they're young kids, especially when you're in wrestling and don't try to reinvent the wheel. Do what got you there as a young kid and that's training hard, figuring out what you need to do with your coaches, how you get better and obviously, keep working. But sometimes when you get older, you kind of complicate things. I need to do this, I need this, just get to work, and heading forward, and ultimately work."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Aaron Pico advises Gable Steveson to step away for a bit and 'block out the noise'
