Aaron Pico shoots directly to the top at UFC 319.
The UFC returns to Chicago for the first time since 2019 with a decent card with a head by middleweight champion Drus du Persis and Khamzat Chimaev.
The fans and even UFC boss Dana White call the UFC 319 Main Event the 'Fight of the Year'. Du Plessis and Chimaev have a combined 25-fighter profit reak and are unbeaten in the UFC.
The Co-Main event on Saturday evening was boosted at the press conference before the fight, in which former Bellator-hunter Aaron Pico did not get a love from the fans prior to his UFC debut against top Vederweight Competer Lerone Murphy.
The debut of Pico comes in the short term after a failed booking against Movsar Evloev on UFC Abu Dhabi. The 28-year-old went 12-4 in Bellator MMA.
Many were surprised to see Pico de Co-Main event slot of a pay-per-view card for his first UFC fight.
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
Dana White 'Happy' to see that Aaron Pico Spotlight gets on UFC 319
Pico is not your regular UFC debutant. The American is a former golden gloves amateur boxing champion and a former medal winner in Freestyle struggling.
Pico has a wealth of experience from Bellator, where he lost several times at the start of his career due to interruption. Pico has really turned his career and won nine of his last ten fights, seven per finish.
Once invoiced as the 'Greatest Prospect in MMA History' by Bellator boss Scott Coker (via ESPN), it is safe to say that Dana White sees potentially in the debuting Pico to let him co-headline UFC 319.
“Well, people have been interested in Pico for a long time and how he would do it in the UFC,” White told Fox 32 Chicago.
“He comes in with a bang …
“He records a man who is unbeaten in the Co-Main event on a map like this.
“At the moment I am happy in his career that he has this kind of fight with this kind of attention,” said White van Pico.
Pico's opponent, Murphy, is currently at #6 in the UFC Featherweight Division. A potential title shot is in the balance for the winner of Pico vs. Murphy, with champion Alexander Volkanovski not currently booked.
Two Bellator champions dropped their UFC debut earlier this year
A few years ago, Pico came very close to a Bellator option option, but De Jager never got the chance to fight for the frontweight belt.
Pico, earlier this year, follows former Bellator champions Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix in the UFC. Despite their greatness in the rival promotion, Pitbull and Mix could not win their first fights in the Octagon.
Pitbull, who considered the Bellator -Geit, lost his debut against former interim champion Yair Rodriguez by decision on UFC 314.
On UFC 316, the last Bellator Bantamweight Champion Patchy Mix dropped his debut at Mario Bautista by decision.
Pitbull eventually bounced back and grabbed his first UFC victory at 38 when he then defeated Ige on UFC 318. Meanwhile, Mix is looking for redemption against the debuting Jakub Wiklacz on UFC 320 on October 4.