Aaron Pico has been making headlines since his debut in MMA way back in 2017 and has continuously grown and improved over the years. Now a 28-year-old who has grown and come into his own as an experienced fighter he gets a chance on the big stage for the number one MMA promotion.
Aaron Pico is not exactly getting fed any freebies in his UFC debut. He was originally slated to meet Movsar Evloev but an injury forced Evloev to withdraw from the bout with the organization finding the newcomer a fresh opponent. The wrestling standout will meet undefeated contender Lerone Murphy in the co-main event of the PPV portion for UFC 319.
The difference in level of opposition that both fighters have competed against is obviously a real thing. Pico has slowly moved up the ranks in Bellator and PFL to fight better competition as his career has progressed but, it still does not compare to the names that Murphy has competed against in the UFC; such as Josh Emmett, Dan Ige, and Edson Barboza to name a few.
The difference in talent faced does not bother me that much as the octagon jitters do for highly touted names that are debuting in the UFC. We have seen time and time again that sometimes these fighters making their debut in the promotion just do not perform to what they are known for – almost like a deer in headlights they are frozen. Pico is a phenomenal talent here and we cannot predict for sure whether octagon jitters will play a role. After all, he is debuting as the co-main of a big PPV in Chicago. I can predict though that if he does perform to his abilities from what we have seen in the past then I think he can definitely win this fight.
Both Pico and Murphy’s styles are polar opposites of each other. Pico loves to come forward using his athleticism and speed, throw combos and work in plenty of takedowns. He loves to be in the face of his opponents and keep pressure on them. Murphy on the other hand will gladly sit back, circle around, and pick you apart with jabs and kicks while avoiding damage and getting into exchanges. His power is not anything to get too concerned about but when he does manage to hurt his opponents he can definitely go for the kill. As he gains confidence and wins the standup battle he increases volume and pressure. The issues that stick out to me here in this fight is the difference in power, pressure, and wrestling. While we have seen both men get hurt I am more concerned with Murphy getting hurt from the power of Aaron Pico than I am the other way around. If the college wrestling standout immediately puts pressure on Lerone Murphy and starts shooting takedowns can Murphy defend them? Or if he is taken down can he work his way back up? We should be able to tell how this fight will play out within the first few minutes. It depends how Pico chooses to fight and if fighting under the largest MMA organization hinders his performance in any way. Who knows, maybe we see Murphy continue his winning ways and get the job done here. He definitely has the ability to but he needs to stay off the cage and not let Aaron Pico keep him on his backfoot.
My pick here is Aaron Pico. I will be watching the moneyline up to Saturday night to see if I can get a better number on him.
Thanks for reading and best of luck!
Bet: Aaron Pico ML
