5 potential opponents for Aaron Pico in his UFC debut
After a lengthy period on the sidelines waiting for his PFL contract to expire, Aaron Pico has finally signed with the UFC. It's a move that's been coming for some time.
Widely considered one of the best featherweights outside the UFC, the big question now is who will meet Pico in his octagon debut.
The blue-chip prospect, who is 13-4 in his MMA career, is unlikely to want to wait to attempt to move into title contention at 145 pounds. Therefore, a big-name foe could be first on his list. Here are five potential opponents for Aaron Pico in his UFC debut.
#5. Aaron Pico vs. Jean Silva
If the UFC really wants to throw Aaron Pico into the deep end, then they could match him with fellow prospect Jean Silva.
'Lord' is 5-0 in the octagon and 16-2 overall, and made a big splash this weekend, smashing through Bryce Mitchell. The win should earn Silva a spot in the top fifteen at 145 pounds.
A brutally heavy hitter with excellent ground skills and plenty of confidence, Silva would undoubtedly test Pico. If anything, 'Lord' might be favored to beat the Bellator veteran as three of Pico's four career losses have come via KO.
However, the matchmakers may prefer to keep two of the better prospects in the division apart, instead looking to build both men into future title challengers.
If they decide not to worry about such things and simply want to see fireworks, though, then this fight could definitely work.
#4. Aaron Pico vs. Arnold Allen
While he isn't currently in title contention, the UK's Arnold Allen is still widely viewed as one of the toughest fighters in the featherweight division.
Therefore, 'Almighty', who is ranked at No.7 at 145 pounds, could be an excellent first test for Aaron Pico, assuming the matchmakers don't want to waste any time.
Allen holds big wins over the likes of Dan Hooker, Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze, and his only recent losses came at the hands of Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev.
Allen took both men the distance, though, and has in fact never been finished in his MMA career.
With excellent boxing skills and an underrated grappling game, Allen has very few weaknesses, and in many ways, he utilises a similar arsenal to Pico. He would be a very tricky test for the Bellator veteran's first trip to the octagon, and he'd be a risky foe too due to his somewhat unheralded nature.
A win for Aaron Pico, though, would propel him into title contention, making it a risk worth taking.
#3. Aaron Pico vs. Josh Emmett
Stylistically speaking, it's arguable that the smartest matchmaking the UFC could do would be to match Aaron Pico with ageing veteran Josh Emmett.
Emmett is currently on a run of 1-3 in his last four bouts, but he's still ranked at No.10 in the featherweight division, and would absolutely be a respectable opponent.
However, on paper at least, Pico matches well with the former title challenger.
Based on what he's shown in his Bellator career, the 28-year-old would likely hold an advantage in hand speed and in terms of technical striking. His stellar wrestling game would also be expected to be able to stop any of Emmett's takedowns.
Emmett arguably has the most one-hit power in the entire 145-pound division, meaning he'd still be a dangerous foe. However, he'd also be very beatable.
Given he lost to Lerone Murphy earlier this month, there's a chance that Emmett may want to take some time away to regroup. If that isn't the case, though, this could be an excellent debut fight for Aaron Pico later this year.
#2. Aaron Pico vs. Aljamain Sterling
Despite the fact that he's ranked at No.9 in the UFC's featherweight division, it feels like former bantamweight kingpin Aljamain Sterling is the forgotten man at 145 pounds.
'Funk Master', though, is a very dangerous contender and has the ability to give any fighter in the division problems. After all, he comfortably beat Calvin Kattar, pushed Movsar Evloev to the limit, and is almost certainly one of the division's best grapplers.
So could Sterling be the man to welcome Aaron Pico to the octagon?
It'd definitely be an interesting bout. Despite the fact that he's fought at 155 pounds before, Pico would actually have a slight reach disadvantage against Sterling.
However, the Bellator vet would also hope to have better boxing skills, as well as the wrestling ability to cancel out Sterling's takedown.
Overall, if Pico could beat a former UFC champ, then it'd send a huge message to the rest of the division, making this fight a worthwhile one for Pico.
#1. Aaron Pico vs. Brian Ortega
When Aaron Pico's arrival in the UFC was initially reported earlier this month, the opponent he was linked with was Movsar Evloev.
That fight has now reportedly been scrapped, perhaps because the Russian could be in line for a featherweight title shot instead.
However, the fact that the promotion even considered matching Pico with the No.4-ranked 145-pounder in the world shows how highly they rate him. Therefore, a good possible opponent for him could be the No.6-ranked Brian Ortega.
'T-City' is a former title challenger, having unsuccessfully battled both Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski for the gold.
Despite this, he's still a hugely talented and dangerous veteran with big wins over the likes of Yair Rodriguez, Frankie Edgar and the Korean Zombie.
With an excellent striking game as well as some of the most slick ground skills in the featherweight division, Ortega would undoubtedly be the biggest test of Pico's career.
However, it's arguable that he's also past his best now, and if the Bellator veteran has designs on the UFC title, then Ortega is the type of opponent he'll need to beat.
This fight would definitely be a big risk for Pico, but given there'd be no shame in losing to 'T-City', it'd also be a worthy one, too.