Who Should This 28-Year-Old Fighter Have His Comeback Fight Against?

To the surprise of oddsmakers and many UFC fans alike, this past Saturday at UFC 319, Aaron Pico was unable to break the PFL Curse, suffering a devastating knockout loss to likely title contender Lerone Murphy. Pico looked to be the fresher fighter early in the fight; his body work and quick movement shifted the momentum in his favor. The combination seemed to take its toll on the older opponent. As effective as Pico’s efforts appeared to be, they proved to be for naught as he made a crucial mistake he had been making since his days at Bellator. Ever the eager fighter, Pico has tended to rush into flurries inside the pocket with his hands less than defensive. He uses his forward momentum to work the body and push his opponent to the cage. In this case, it worked entirely against him. When Pico pushed Murphy to the cage, the debuting fighter was caught with a thunderous spinning elbow that sent him careening into the canvas. Any hope of title contention was sent to the wayside, at least for the time being.

Since a title shot is out of the picture for Pico’s near future, it’s worth talking about what other fights are interesting to make for the up-and-coming Featherweight. The Featherweight Division is one of the deepest in the entire promotion. Every fighter in the top ten has the potential to become a champion. There is no such thing as an easy fight at 145 pounds. This leads me to my point: with Pico coming off a knockout loss, who would be an appropriate opponent to face next? A wrestler? Submission artist? Volume puncher? I think these three fighters make for the best matches available.

With his expertise in wrestling and boxing, not many fighters would be able to stand or grapple with a prepared Aaron Pico. One opponent that stands out to me is former Bellator champion and PFL alum Patricio Pitbull. Pitbull vs. Pico not only rolls off the tongue rather well, but both fighters coming from the same former promotions, as well as losing their debuts in the UFC, give the fight a bit of an underlying story. Something that many matches in the promotion have been missing as of late. Pitbull’s power doesn’t seem to have translated well to the UFC. Perhaps this opens a chance for Pico to make a lower-risk comeback without fear of a knockout. There’s also Sean “The Sniper” Woodson. Woodson is coming off a TKO loss to Dan Ige. This fight would serve as a chance at redemption for both fighters. Ige proved to be too much in the pocket for Woodson, the exact place Pico performs best. However, anywhere from mid to long range, Pico could be in danger due to the overwhelming length provided to Woodson. Finally, Julian Erosa, a very game UFC veteran, is coming off a loss of his own. Erosa’s ground game is much more interesting than the other two combined and could prove to be a lot for Pico to manage. This could be a huge chance for Pico to prove his grappling inside the octagon and get himself back in the win column. There are many more fighters to choose from and many more matches to be made. Only time will tell where Aaron Pico goes from here.