Miscast by many as a bust,
Aaron Pico
has started to fulfill his sky-high promise inside a
Bellator
MMA organization that continues to show unwavering faith in his
ability.
The
Jackson-Wink MMA product will draw his first assignment of 2022
when he confronts
Adli
Edwards as part of the
Bellator 277 main card on Friday at the SAP Center in San Jose,
California. Still just 25 years of age, Pico climbs into the cage
with the wind of a five-fight winning streak at his back. He has
delivered eight of his nine career victories by knockout, technical
knockout or submission, five of them in the first round.
As Pico moves ever closer to his three-round battle with Edwards at
145 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped chart
his course to this point:
Pico overwhelmed the former
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion with speed, athleticism,
technique and sheer force of will, as he captured a unanimous
decision in their three-round Bellator 271 featherweight showcase
on Nov. 12, 2021 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in
Hollywood, Florida. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26. Gonzales
connected on occasion but spent the vast majority of his time
playing defense. Pico unleashed lightning-quick body-head punching
combinations and a few sneaky head kicks but did his best work with
takedowns, scrambles and positional advances. The variety kept
Gonzales guessing, and he often guessed wrong. Pico struck for
multiple takedowns in all three rounds, sliced through the
Dana White’s Contender Series alum’s guard and made everyone
aware of the fact that he was the superior martial artist.
The undefeated Hungarian became the latest fighter to use Pico as a
steppingstone when he blew up the hyped prospect with a flying knee
and follow-up punches in the second round of their Bellator 222
featherweight attraction on June 14, 2019 at Madison Square Garden
in New York. The end came 3:55 into Round 2. Taken down and stifled
for much of the first five minutes, Borics waded through
considerable difficulty and sprang into action when the opportunity
presented itself. The
Sanford MMA managed to get to his feet, moved into open space
and took flight. His knee impacted on Pico’s jaw and resulted in
his collapsing downward. From there, the finish was a formality, as
he was in no condition to withstand the burst of rapid-fire blows
that followed.
The former
King of
the Cage champion wiped out Pico with punches in the first
round of their Bellator 214 co-main event on Jan. 26, 2019 at The
Forum in Inglewood, California. It took just 67 seconds. Corrales
withstood a savage right uppercut from the hyped prospect, gathered
himself under fire and lured his gifted but green adversary into
close quarters. Punching out of the single collar tie, the Fight
Ready export froze Pico with a blistering right hook and caught him
with two more punches as he collapsed to the canvas. Referee Jason
Herzog arrived on the scene moments later to prevent any further
damage.
Quick, powerful punches carried Pico over what was at the time his
most difficult hurdle to date when he disposed of the former
Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion with punches in the first
round of Bellator 206 featherweight feature on Sept. 29, 2018 at
the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Higo bowed out 3:19 into
Round 1. A thudding overhand right drove the Brazilian to the
canvas and marked the beginning of the end for the longtime
jiu-jitsu black belt, as Pico swarmed with an unyielding barrage of
punches until the job was done. Higo, now three-plus years removed
from the ill-fated encounter, has not lost in three appearances
since.