Aaron Pico is aiming to bounce back in a big way this Saturday, when he faces Patricio Pitbull in a featherweight bout on the UFC 327 preliminaries.
The matchup marks Pico’s return after his UFC debut at UFC 319, where he was knocked out by a spinning backfist from Lerone Murphy. The Pico vs. Pitbull fight will be simulcast on CBS and Paramount+.
“I’m not going to lie, after the last loss, I took it a little bit hard,” Pico said. “I was really embarrassed and had some down days. It’s just part of the game, especially when you put a lot of work into it. That’s what fans sometimes don’t understand. I’m very thankful for the fans, don’t get me wrong, but then you also get the fans that criticize and say certain things, but they don’t see the behind the scenes, how much work, the hunger pangs before bed because you’re cutting weight. The toll it takes on families and things like that and you put your life and soul into it and to come up short, especially on a big stage like that, I took it really, really hard.”
Pico said time with his family helped him reset. “It was OK, though, after a few weeks with my son and traveling and spending a lot of time in Morocco, one thing I always know is that the sun rises the next morning. My son loves me and my family’s got me and yeah, just got to get back on the horse. It was very difficult, but I’m back now, so all good.”
The 29-year-old has spent the last three months focused on “fight IQ, movement, footwork, just all-around things,” and added, “I’ve been training the last three months and working on a new style and just different things and I’m excited on Saturday night to show it.”
Known for an all-or-nothing approach with only two of his 18 pro bouts going to the scorecards, Pico now says fans should expect a looser version of himself. “I think what fans should expect is Aaron Pico just having fun and not putting so much pressure like I have to get a knockout, I have to get a takedown,” he said. “Just fighting free, using my footwork, my head movement, takedown when I need to get a takedown, but ultimately when I’m having fun, I’m using all my skills, good things happen.”
