Aaron Pico seems to be in a hurry as the newly signed UFC featherweight aims to become champion by 2026. Of course, the former Bellator superstar left the promotion amid the ongoing exodus from PFL-Bellator since their 2023 merger, and is yet to make his debut in the Dana White-led promotion. Expected to make his debut soon, the Whittier native is in a hurry to become champion. This is why he wants a top ten 145fer for his first outing. This might seem a bit too soon for a debutante, but Pico is not just any debutante. The Olympic hopeful was a veritable superstar and a very promising contender in Bellator.
Not to mention, for his debut, Pico was offered undefeated Russian #4 ranked Movsar Evloev, who many think is next in line, for his debut bout, but it ultimately fell through. And based upon that offer, Pico feels it logically follows that he fight either #7 Brian Ortega or #9 Aljamain Sterling on debut.
“I want to look at it like very objectively. Like, they offered me Movsar [Evloev]. So, okay, I have a name now. So I look at Movsar and I say, ‘Well, who did he fight last?’ He fought Aljamain Sterling, and then, who was he supposed to fight? And I think, if I’m not mistaken, I heard Brian Ortega,” Pico said on Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo’s ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast.
“So I’m like ‘Okay, well, give me a Brian Ortega or give me an Aljamain Sterling.’ I have something to work with now, and let’s just call it what it is. Like I’m the new guy on the job. I have no axe to grind with like really anybody… As far as wanting to beat the hell out of somebody in the cage, yeah, that excites me. That’s what I want to do, you know. So back to what you were saying, it’s like Aljamain, Ortega, let’s go if you guys are ready to fight,” he added.
April 19, 2023, Honolulu, HI, Hawaii, USA: HONOLULU, HAWAII – APRIL 18: Aaron Pico addresses the media ahead of his Featherweight bout during Bellator 295 – Stots vs Mix at Blaisdell Arena on April 22nd, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Honolulu, HI USA – ZUMAp175 20230419_zsa_p175_009 Copyright: xMattxDaviesx
This, of course, raises the question. Will the UFC oblige him? Will Aaron Pico get to fight Aljamain Sterling or Brian Ortega on his UFC debut?
Did Aaron Pico make a mistake by asking for Aljamain Sterling or Brian Ortega on his UFC debut?
Aaron Pico’s former Bellator colleague, Patricio Pitbull, made his UFC debut straightaway against the #5 ranked featherweight contender, Yair Rodriguez, at UFC 314. And while Pico may not be quite as big a star or as accomplished as Pitbull (whom many consider the greatest Bellator fighter of all time), the UFC did rate Pico high enough to offer him the #4 Evloev, who is higher ranked than the guy they gave Pitbull.
And if that is any indication, the UFC is looking to give the Whittier native a push straightaway. To be fair top of the featherweight division needs some new and young blood since champion Alexander Volkanovski has beaten almost all the top guys, some of them more than once. And Pico is still 28 and already a veritable star, which is why he could well get Sterling or Ortega next.
But the thing is, perhaps Pico is being too humble. If the UFC thinks him good enough to debut against Evloev, virtually the next title contender, could the Californian not have asked for the last title contender, Diego Lopes, or Yair Rodriguez, who also has a pretty good claim to fighting for the title? Moreover, if he fights and beats any of the three men on his UFC debut, a title shot would probably be next. What do you think about Aaron Pico’s wishlist for his first UFC opponent?
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