Aaron Pico walked out of UFC 327 with his first UFC victory and made sure to shine a spotlight on middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev for his role in the result.
Pico defeated fellow former Bellator standout Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327 in Newark, N.J., in a bout where he emphasized winning over chasing a finish. Saturday marked just the second time in Pico’s 19-fight career that he went to the scorecards.
The featherweight contender prepared for Pitbull by training with Chimaev and credited the champion for sharpening his game. “One thing I like being around Khamzat is he’s just a guy that works hard. He just goes and does his job. He loves what he does, he’s very intense when he does his workouts. When I’m in there with him, we’re pushing each other, but also, I’ve said it time and time again, he’s a very humble guy.”
“He’s got a professional team and before I left to this fight I said, ‘Hey Khamzat, can you show me a few positions? I want to ask you what you do from here,’ and he was really happy to show me and yeah, just a great guy, really cool, and his whole team is just awesome. So it’s motivating to be around him.”
Pico described his approach against Pitbull as controlled and methodical. “But if I’m winning a fight and I took him down and I’m landing my shots, why do I have to get a knockout? The knockout will come.”
Chimaev, who won the middleweight belt with a five-round decision over Dricus du Plessis, is scheduled to defend his title against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328 on May 9 in Newark, N.J. Pico made clear where his support lies: “I think Khamzat’s going to win [at UFC 328] and I’m rooting for him,” he said.
