Aaron Pico to debut in UFC against Lerone Murphy
Aaron Pico’s highly anticipated UFC debut will take place against Lerone Murphy at the UFC 319 event, which will be held in Chicago, as announced by the promotion on Saturday.
Pico (13-4) was initially scheduled to make his UFC debut against Movsar Evloev, but the latter withdrew earlier this month. Pico, a prominent figure in Bellator MMA, requested that the UFC schedule him a new fight as soon as possible. His 145-pound matchup against Murphy (16-0-1) will be the co-main event of UFC 319, scheduled for August 16 in Chicago.
This change represents an interesting situation for the entire featherweight division. Despite not having held a championship in Bellator, Pico has long been considered one of the best fighters in the world outside of the UFC. At 28 years old, he was once considered the most promising prospect in MMA history, with an outstanding career in amateur wrestling and boxing.
Originally, he was going to face Evloev, who is the number one contender in the division. Now, Pico will face Murphy, who, although undefeated, is positioned below Evloev in the ranking.
Currently, the featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, does not have his next title defense scheduled.
