Who is Aaron Pico? The UFC’s Latest Signing Renowned For Brutal Knockouts

UFC finally signed Aaron Pico, an MMA fighter earmarked for greatness in the sport since before he even debuted.

The former Bellator MMA standout will enter the market-leading combat sports promotion with a reasonable pro record of 13 wins against four losses, but he is far more than win to loss ratio suggests, as he’s renowned for his extraordinarily violent finishes, having trained in boxing as a junior Golden Gloves champion from 2009 to 2011, before learning from Manny Pacquiao’s long-time coach Freddie Roach, at the Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood, Los Angeles. In addition to his striking, though, Pico is able to blend his formidable background in wrestling — having trained in the sport since he was four years old.

What makes Pico so interesting is that he’s part of a new wave of fighters who have chosen not to become an expert in a single discipline, but, rather, someone who can become a well-rounded fighter who excels regardless of where the fight goes — on the feet, in the clinch, or on the ground.

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Who is Aaron Pico?

Aaron Pico is the latest big-name fighter to join the UFC

And so read Pico’s opening statement on his latest Instagram post, indicating that he’d secured his long-awaited release from Professional Fighters League, which had merged Bellator MMA — where Pico made his name — into its organization.

“This is more than just a dream come true; it’s the beginning of a new chapter,” he said. “Thank you to my family, my manager Ali Abdelaziz, coaches, training partners, and everyone who has supported me on this journey. Your belief in me has fueled my fire.”

He then explained what his “ultimate goal” now is.

If you think that’s bluster from a prospect, think again. Pico hasn’t had it easy in MMA, and he hit the skids early in his career after carrying arguably more hype than many have ever enjoyed.

That hype train came crashing to a halt in his very first fight, as he lost via guillotine choke to Zach Freeman in 2017. Though he got four wins in a row after that loss, he suffered back-to-back defeats, bringing his record to 4-3 just as it was getting started. And so Pico, that highly-prized mega-prospect, had to rebuild his career.

In the six years and 10 fights since then, he’s lost just once, but has built a reputation in which he can confidently say he inflicts some of the most savage and thunderous knockouts you could ever hope to see in mixed martial arts. That’s who Aaron Pico really is. He’s a beast.

He’s a beast for being able to do this:

And this:

And this:

Stay tuned for news on his debut in the UFC, where he’ll hope that beastly run continues with aplomb.

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