Dustin Poirier thinks that debutant Aaron Pico is 'on his own way' on UFC 319.
UFC 319 was a dramatic affair from Chicago, Illinois, with a 12-field card with head by Dricus du Plessis and the newly crowned champion Khamzat Chimaev.
The main map saw back-to-back knockouts come by turning elbow as Carlos Prates Ko'd Geoff Neal, and the unbeaten Lerone Murphy spoiled Aaron Pico's UFC debut in a brutal way.
The 28-year-old Bellator star Pico wasted no time to take the fight to Murphy and was very aggressive from the start. Despite any early success, this eventually led to his downfall when Murphy a rotating elbow for the knockout timed while Pico pressed ahead.
Pico, a blue-chip perspective for his praises in wrestling and boxing, has previously lost twice by knockout and has been restored.
UFC legend Dustin Poirier wants to see Pico make changes if he will continue to compete with the best hunters in the world.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Dustin Poirier evokes that Aaron Pico is 'more patient' after the loss of UFC 319
Pico's MMA debut In 2017 lasted 24 seconds after the hunter was caught in a Guillotine Choke.
His UFC debut did not go much longer at 3:21, with a counterattack like Murphy who quickly used his aggressiveness against Pico.
The recently retired Poirier says that Pico did not take his time to set up his attacks because he believes so much in his skills.
“He is completely in when he fights,” Poirier said about Pico on the UFC 319 after the show.
“When he comes in to throw these combinations, he is sharp, but he is explosive. He doesn't feel like, no jabs, no setups. Everything is killing,” the veteran noted.
“And if you do that, you win great, what he has done, or you lose great, what he did.
“So I would like to see a small midfield, he fills in the shots, puts them on, is a bit more patient because he has the skills and he believes in it.
“That's why he is moving forward as he does. But you have to set it against this caliber of fighter. You can't just run inside, jump inside, throw 100% every punch. You have to let them guess. You have to set out. You have to make them, make mistakes, make mistakes and then store them …
“He has those tools, but he is in his own way,” Poirier said about Pico's potential.
Chael Sonnen says that Aaron Pico might be the 'most difficult worker' in MMA
Pico came in his UFC debut on UFC 319 with a ton of hype.
Once recommended as the best prospect in the MMA history, the high expectations for Pico fell flat when he hit the canvas after a rotating elbow.
Former UFC title Challenger and analyst Chael Sonnen shows his sympathy for Pico, who, according to him, is one of the hardest working hunters in MMA.
“I have never seen Pico lose a competition where the story was no longer,” Sonen said at the UFC after the show.
“I have never seen him lose a competition where he did not do well. His shoulder goes out, he is caught …
“Tonight he takes a rotating elbow. I mean, those are one in a million shots, and they seem to land on Pico.
“I feel very bad for the young man. He may be the most difficult worker in the entire sport,” Sonen said about the 13-5 featherweight.