Featherweight prospect signs with UFC after leaving PFL as a free agent

Aaron Pico is now a UFC fighter. Photo: Cooper Neill/ Getty Images

In a week where the featherweight category (up to 65,7kg) is on the rise due to the belt dispute between Alexander Volkanovsky e Diego lopes, the UFC announced the signing of Aaron Pico, a promising fighter in the category. The competitor secured his release from the PFL and signed an agreement to join the roster of Dana White's organization. The news was confirmed late Tuesday afternoon (8).

The deal was struck after Pico was technically out of contract with the PFL, but the organization still held the fight rights. The American had said in an interview with the portal 'MMA Fighting' who planned to wait for these fighting rights so he could finally pursue his dream of competing in the UFC. Fans of Dana's organization have been calling for his signing for some time.

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The 28-year-old fighter was one of the top prospects to make the transition to MMA after growing up with a background in both wrestling and boxing. Pico signed with Bellator MMA when he was still a teenager, but continued to pursue his wrestling dreams before ultimately falling short of making the 2016 Olympic team. He eventually made his MMA debut, but faced some early struggles after suffering a loss in his debut fight.

Pico teamed up with coaches like Brandon Gibson and Greg Jackson before going on a nine-10 run in his last XNUMX fights between Bellator and PFL. His only loss came after he suffered a shoulder injury in a fight against Jeremy kennedy which prevented him from continuing after the opening round.

He quickly rebounded from the episode with three more wins, including a knockout of Henry Corrales in early 2024, which helped him avenge an earlier loss in his career.

The new UFC fighter had his name mentioned a little earlier this Tuesday, when rumors pointed to that he would face the undefeated Movsar Evloev, who is also hoping for a shot at the featherweight title. However, the rumor was denied by the Russian fighter's team.

Pico now joins the UFC roster with hopes of quickly rising up the featherweight rankings, with the promotion set to crown a new champion on Saturday (12) when Alexander Volkanovsky will face Diego lopes in the main fight of UFC 314.