Aaron Pico

Pico rebounded from his UFC debut loss by turning in a disciplined, high-level decision over Patrício Pitbull at UFC 327. Pitbull had a few early counters and leg kicks, but Pico settled in quickly, mixed sharp boxing with takedowns, and pulled away over the final two rounds for his first UFC win.

Key moments

• Recovered after Pitbull's early counter left hand and leg kicks interrupted his opening pressure.
• Found a cleaner rhythm with combinations and takedowns as the fight moved into the second half.
• Won by unanimous decision on scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for his first Octagon victory.

Pico's UFC debut ended abruptly when Lerone Murphy knocked him out with a spinning back elbow late in the opening round. Pico had encouraging stretches with body work and takedowns, but one defensive lapse in open space changed the fight immediately.

Key moments

• Started well enough to land body shots and force wrestling exchanges in his promotional debut.
• Murphy stayed poised and capitalized when Pico overcommitted in the striking phase.
• The fight ended at 3:21 of round one when Murphy landed the spinning back elbow clean.

Pico avenged an earlier knockout loss to Corrales by controlling the rematch with pressure, takedowns and cleaner striking before the late stoppage. Corrales kept getting back to his feet early, but Pico stayed on him, mixed in jabs and low kicks, and eventually broke him down against the fence.

Key moments

• Opened the fight by pressing forward and forcing Corrales to work back up from takedown attempts.
• Shifted from wrestling-heavy control to sharper boxing and low kicks as the round developed.
• Closed the rematch with punches at 4:53 of round one to avenge the 2019 loss.

Pico overwhelmed Carvalho in Dublin by immediately turning the fight into a pressure-and-wrestling problem. He forced multiple body-lock takedowns, kept Carvalho pinned near the fence, and finished the job with punches before the first round expired.

Key moments

• Drove Carvalho to the cage and landed a body-lock takedown within the opening half-minute.
• Repeated the takedown and clinch-control sequence after Carvalho worked back to his feet.
• Scored the stoppage at 3:05 of round one after sustained pressure and follow-up punches.

Pico returned from the Jeremy Kennedy shoulder-injury loss and banked a clean three-round decision over short-notice replacement James Gonzalez at Bellator 295. It was not his most dramatic win, but it did prove he could come back healthy, handle 15 minutes, and control a fight from start to finish.

Key moments

• Fought a short-notice replacement after the original Bellator 295 booking changed late.
• Won every round on all three judges' cards, sweeping the fight 30-27 across the board.
• Used the bout as a successful return from the injury loss to Jeremy Kennedy.

Pico's Bellator 286 meeting with Kennedy ended in unusual fashion when a shoulder injury brought the fight to a halt at the end of the opening round. Instead of a clean competitive loss, it left him dealing with an abrupt physical setback just as he was trying to build a longer winning streak.

Key moments

• Lost by injury stoppage at the close of round one.
• The official finish came at 5:00 after the shoulder issue forced the bout to end.
• Interrupted the strong run Pico had built before Bellator 295.

Edwards made Pico work longer than some earlier opponents, but Pico still forced the stoppage with punches early in the third round. Going deep before finding the finish showed he could keep his pace and power late instead of needing a quick knockout.

Key moments

• Won by third-round TKO.
• The stoppage came 55 seconds into the final round.
• Extended his Bellator winning streak with a late finish.

Pico handled Gonzales across three rounds and took a unanimous decision in one of the steadier performances of his Bellator run. The result added another composed, full-distance win to a record more often defined by explosive finishes.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Showed he could control a fight without needing a stoppage.
• Added another quality result during his 2020-22 Bellator surge.

Pico showed another layer to his game against Lee, finishing with an anaconda choke in the third round. The submission underlined that his threat set was broader than his punching power and wrestling entries alone.

Key moments

• Won by anaconda choke in round three.
• The finish came at 1:33 of the final frame.
• Recorded one of the rare submission victories on his record.

Pico stopped de Jesus late in the second round with a clean punch, continuing the rebound stretch that followed his 2019 setbacks. It was another reminder that even when the fight extended, his power could still end things suddenly.

Key moments

• Won by knockout in round two.
• The finish came at 4:12 of the second frame.
• Continued his bounce-back run after the Corrales and Borics losses.

Hatley was finished quickly when Pico locked up a rear-naked choke in the first round. The result helped show that Pico's comeback phase was not built only on striking knockouts, but also on fast grappling conversions.

Key moments

• Won by rear-naked choke in round one.
• The submission came at 2:10 of the opening frame.
• Added another inside-the-distance win during his 2020 resurgence.

Pico barely needed any time in the second round to knock Carey out and restart his momentum after the two damaging losses in 2019. It was the kind of quick, emphatic finish that reminded people why he had long been treated as a blue-chip prospect.

Key moments

• Won by knockout 15 seconds into round two.
• Opened 2020 with an emphatic rebound performance.
• Put the 2019 skid behind him with a fast finish.

Borics handed Pico another difficult setback by catching him with a flying knee and follow-up punches in the second round. Coming only months after the Corrales knockout, the loss deepened the sense that Pico's upside was clear but his margin for error was still thin.

Key moments

• Lost by second-round TKO.
• The decisive sequence came at 3:55 of round two.
• Suffered back-to-back defeats in one of the roughest stretches of his career.

Corrales shocked Pico by stopping him with punches just over a minute into the first round. Because Pico had been steamrolling opponents beforehand, the loss immediately became one of the major warning points in the early part of his career arc.

Key moments

• Lost by first-round knockout.
• The fight ended at 1:07 of the opening round.
• Marked the first knockout setback after a string of Bellator wins.

Pico overwhelmed Higo with first-round pressure and punches, earning another stoppage against a respected Bellator name. Beating a more established opponent that decisively added real weight to the hype around him.

Key moments

• Won by first-round TKO.
• The stoppage came at 3:19 of round one.
• Added a notable Bellator name to his early win column.

Morrison lasted little more than a minute before Pico stopped him with punches in another rapid Bellator win. At that stage of his run, Pico's first-round power was becoming the clearest signature on the record.

Key moments

• Won by first-round TKO.
• The finish came at 1:10 of the opening frame.
• Continued his stretch of quick Bellator stoppages.

Pico flattened Kruchten with a body shot only 37 seconds into the fight, producing one of the fastest wins of his career. The result helped erase some of the noise from his pro debut loss and reasserted just how dangerous he was offensively.

Key moments

• Won by body-shot knockout in 37 seconds.
• Delivered one of the fastest finishes on his record.
• Quickly rebuilt momentum after his first pro defeat.

Pico secured his first professional win by knocking Linn out in the opening round at Bellator 183. It was an immediate corrective performance after the debut loss to Freeman and showed why Bellator had invested so much attention in him.

Key moments

• Won by first-round knockout.
• The finish came at 3:45 of round one.
• Recorded his first pro victory in his second Bellator appearance.

Pico's professional debut lasted only 24 seconds before Freeman caught him in a guillotine choke. The loss was a jarring start given the expectations around him, but it also became the baseline from which the rest of his development was judged.

Key moments

• Lost his pro debut by guillotine choke.
• The fight ended just 24 seconds into round one.
• Started his career with one of the most abrupt setbacks on the record.