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Brett Okamoto
Aaron Pico’s highly anticipated debut in the UFC will now take place against Lerone Murphy at UFC 319 in Chicago, the promotion announced on Saturday.
Pico (13-4) was supposed to make his first UFC appearance opposite Movsar Evloev (19-0) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, but Evloev was forced to withdraw earlier this month. Pico, a longtime standout at Bellator MMA, publicly asked the UFC to rebook him as soon as possible. His 145-pound bout against Murphy (16-0-1) will serve as the UFC 319 co-main event on Aug. 16 in Chicago.
It’s an interesting change for the entire featherweight division. Pico never held a championship in Bellator but has long been viewed as one of the best fighters in the world outside of the UFC. The 28-year-old was once considered arguably the greatest prospect in MMA history, with extensive accolades in amateur wrestling and boxing.
In Evloev, he would have been facing the No. 1-ranked contender in the division. He will now turn his attention to Murphy, who is undefeated but ranked lower than Evloev.
Current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski does not currently have his next title defense booked.