Pico is the latest Bellator stalwart to leave the Professional Fighters League
Aaron Pico is officially a member of UFC. The former Bellator MMA prospect confirmed on Tuesday that he would be heading to UFC after becoming a free agent.
Pico was Bellator’s ultimate pet project, spending his entire professional career with the promotion as they slowly prepared him for a world title. Pico will now begin that journey anew in the UFC.
Pico (13-4) departed the Professional Fighters League, which absorbed Bellator MMA in 2023, as a free agent. Pico’s signing is the latest in an exodus of Bellator talent departing PFL. Former two-division Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull makes his UFC debut on Saturday; meanwhile, former Bellator champ-champ Ryan Bader left PFL last month.
“After years of hard work, dedication, and unwavering belief, I’ve officially signed with the UFC!” Pico wrote on Instagram. “This is more than just a dream come true; it’s the beginning of a new chapter… The ultimate goal? To become the UFC champion. I’m ready to work harder than ever before to make that a reality.”
Pico claims a debut against highly-touted featherweight contender Movsar Evloev was in the works but fell through. Pico’s manager called asking him to fight Evloev on May 17. Pico agreed to the fight and was given the impression that Evloev was on board.
“I was a little bit surprised, but ultimately it’s not happening,” Pico told MMA Junkie. “But it was a good sign that they were entertaining the idea of fighting a guy so highly ranked. For him, it was kind of hard because he’s No. 4, and I’m just coming in.
“I can understand why he probably got advised not to ultimately take it, but he did say yes. I’m sure he got in with his team, and they said, ‘What are you doing? Just wait.’ So, nothing but respect.”
Pico instead turns his attention to other featherweights ranked in the UFC’s official top 10.
“I’m looking at it like this: I was supposed to fight Movsar. Who is he supposed to fight and who has he fought last?” Pico said. “He fought Aljamain [Sterling] last. Let’s fight Aljamain. I believe he was supposed to fight Brian Ortega, don’t quote me on that. If Brian Ortega’s ready to go, then let’s fight. That’s how you make money.”
Pico is a multi-time gold medalist freestyle wrestler. He placed second at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials before shifting his focus to mixed martial arts. Pico joins the UFC off three consecutive wins with two first-round finishes.
