Aaron Pico has been fighting at a high level long before joining the UFC. But stepping into the octagon for the first time had special significance to one family member.
Ahead of his debut against Lerone Murphy this Saturday at UFC 319 in Chicago, Pico spoke to reporters at media day on Wednesday and he recalled a humbling moment delivered to him by his own son that summed up what it meant to finally meant to make the jump from Bellator to the UFC.
“It’s always funny to explain to somebody that just doesn’t get it,” Pico said. “I have a funny story, my son is four years old and we watch the fights all the time and when I told him, ‘Dad’s going to fight in the UFC on TV,’ he said, ‘Wow, Dad, you’re finally a professional.’
“I said, ‘Yeah, dad’s finally a professional.’ It’s funny, but now it’s going to be-I don’t really tell people when I’m out in public, they always ask me, ‘What do you do for a living?’ I just say, ‘I’m an artist’ and I don’t go into detail. Then if they pry, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m a fighter.’ Then you tell them back then I fought for this organization, they’re like, ‘OK, so one day you’ll be in the UFC.’ I said, ‘Yeah, one day I’ll be in the UFC.’ Now if I get that question, it’s just, ‘Yeah, I’m a UFC fighter.’ The conversation is, like, ‘Wow, you’re big time and blah blah blah,’ but it feels good.”
Pico’s story has been told countless times since he made his pro debut at 20 years old with zero amateur experience and a mountain of hype touting him as the next big thing in MMA. His first fight ended in a shocking 24-second submission loss and he’s worked hard since to right the ship, going 13-4 overall in his run with Bellator that includes several highlight-reel knockout victories.
Having a clear goal in mind provided plenty of motivation.
“I haven’t had an easy road to get here,” Pico said. “I really had to dig deep and ask myself is this something that I really want to do? And the answer was always yes, it was never an option to quit. I always knew I was going to be in the UFC, I just didn’t know when and I think everything aligned the way it was supposed to since the beginning of my career to where I’m at now and I have a lot of work ahead of me, but mentally and physically I’m ready for all of it.”
His upcoming opponent is hardly a layup, with Murphy sporting a perfect 16-0-1 record as a pro including eight straight UFC victories. Pico can steal Murphy’s thunder with an impressive performance Saturday and vault himself into the thick of the featherweight title picture, but he’s not looking far ahead.
“What I make of his skillset is he’s [16-0-1] for a reason, undefeated in the UFC,” Pico said. “He’s fought some really tough guys. My team and I have our work cut out for us for Saturday and I’m not coming in here taking him lightly. He has [17] fights and I have just as many as he does and I didn’t start in the regional scene where I was fighting in backyards or whatever. I’ve been on the big stage my whole career, so I’m ready for this moment. I just have to do my job Saturday and take care of business.”
Even though Pico is staying focused on one fight, there has already been chatter around a potential matchup with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
“The Great” recently broke down how he’d fare against Pico and he likes his chances. For Pico, it’s all about beating Murphy at UFC 319 and then crossing that bridge with Volkanovski when the time comes.
“It would be five rounds, so I think I’m going to land a left hook or a right hand so I can put him out,” Pico said of Volkanovski. “I’m the new guy in this organization, I’m just going to be upfront, and to have his attention, that’s a good thing. But I have to take care of Lerone Murphy, that’s all I’m focused on.
“But Volkanovski has it coming. He’s not an easy guy to fight and I’m aware of that and I look at who he’s fought as far as high-level wrestlers, he’s never fought a high-level wrestler like me. Your time is coming.”
