Don’t expect Aaron Pico to return to the Octagon in 2025.
Pico made his UFC debut against Lerone Murphy inside the United Center in Chicago. The UFC 319 co-main event was a pivotal bout in the featherweight division. Pico was knocked out in spectacular fashion by a spinning back elbow in the opening frame.
The knockout was bad enough that Pico’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is putting his fighter on the sidelines for the remainder of 2025. He explained why during an appearance on “Submission Radio” (via MMAJunkie).
“I have rules, man,” Abdelaziz said. “When guys get knocked out like that, I’m not going to book him a fight for at least six months. After six months, he can fight. But (he needs to take off) at least six months. It’s not healthy for a fighter to go out like that and just try to come back early.
“We see it over and over happen to many guys, and it doesn’t work like (it did for Alexander Volkanovski). It doesn’t work good for them when the guys come back this early. They say health is the most important, and he’ll be back. I’m not worried about it, honestly. He’s good. His health is good.”
Pico entered the UFC with some buzz, given he’s long been highly touted dating back to his days with Bellator MMA. Pico’s MMA debut ended in a shocking 24-second submission loss to Zach Freeman. He went on to have mixed results and found himself with a record of 4-3 before he put together a six-fight winning streak.
A loss to Jeremy Kennedy due to a shoulder injury hadn’t slowed Pico down too much, as he was able to secure a three-fight winning streak prior to the recent knockout defeat against Murphy. Time will tell how soon Pico can return to the win column.