Aaron Pico reflects on horrific shoulder injury in his last fight and the lessons he learned
Aaron Pico went viral last year after sustaining a dislocated shoulder at Bellator 286 against Jeremy Kennedy. Pico lost the bout via a technical stoppage as his corner failed to re-insert his shoulder into the socket in between round one and round two.
Adding salt to Pico's wounds, the method his corner team adopted to try and fix the dislocation only caused more problems for the talented fighter. Footage of his team pulling on his arm went viral, which ultimately caused further damage to the joint.
After a six-month recovery period, the featherweight prospect is set to make his return at Bellator 295 this weekend against James Gonzalez. During the pre-event press conference, Aaron Pico reflected candidly about the shoulder injury and the lessons he learned. He said this:
"Last fight was a big wake up call for me. I work really really hard, sometimes a little too much... one thing I have had questions about is riding out a routine for the week, [doing that] for 8 weeks, literally sometimes with this camp it felt like it was just smooth and I wasn't overworking. I had a tendancy in my prior fights to be like, 'Maybe I'll just do one more practice, or one extra run.' I really listen to all my coaches and my body, I think that comes with age..."
Watch the interview below from 4:40:
Aaron Pico's hopes of a Bellator title shot were shattered against Jeremy Kennedy as the talented featherweight fighter's six-fight win streak came to an unexpected end.
Pico will no doubt hope to return in emphatic fashion this weekend.
Aaron Pico and A.J. McKee on whether they would fight one another
Former teammates Aaron Pico and A.J. McKee have stated that they would refuse to fight one another, barring special circumstances. The pair have known each other since childhood, and have both evolved into immensely talented fighters on the Bellator MMA roster.
Until last year, both McKee and Pico competed at featherweight, and were asked if they would be prepared to put their friendship aside during an interview with TMZSports.
Aaron Pico said this:
"We've talked about this before, and if it ever came down to [having to fight each other] it would be years down the line. Those zeroes better add up... we're gonna meet in a room and I'm gonna say, 'Hey, A.J., is your son gonna be taken care of for life? Are you gonna be taken care of?' Right now there are so many people for us to smash, so I don't think so."
Watch the interview below from 10:55: