Aaron Pico Debuts in the UFC Against Lerone Murphy at UFC 319
The long-awaited debut of Aaron Pico in the UFC finally has a date and opponent. The promotion announced on Saturday that Pico will face Lerone Murphy at the UFC 319 event, to be held in Chicago.
Pico, with a record of 13-4, was originally scheduled to debut against Movsar Evloev at a UFC Fight Night event. However, Evloev was forced to withdraw earlier in the month.
After Evloev’s withdrawal, Pico publicly requested the UFC to find him a new fight as soon as possible. The 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 turn for the featherweight division. Pico, although never a champion in Bellator MMA, has long been considered one of the best fighters outside the UFC.
At 28 years old, Pico was once considered one of the most promising prospects in MMA history, with an outstanding career in amateur wrestling and boxing.
Instead of facing Evloev, ranked number one in the division, Pico will now focus his attention on Murphy, who remains undefeated but is ranked lower than Evloev.
Currently, the featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, does not have his next title defense scheduled.
