Aaron Pico Feels ‘Ready Physically and Mentally’ to Fight for Bellator Title

Aaron Pico celebrated his 27th birthday in style on Saturday.

The Jackson-Wink MMA product made short work of Pedro Carvalho in the Bellator 299 co-main event, winning via technical knockout 3:05 into the opening stanza of their featherweight bout at 3Arena in Dublin. Pico took his foe down multiple times before sealing his victory with punches and elbows from top position.

“I felt really good throughout the whole fight. Of course, you’re going to get hit, it’s a fight. But I was able to stay composed, pick my shots, slow the fight down with my wrestling,” Pico said at the Bellator 299 post-fight press conference.

“And my ground-and-pound was vicious. I think he was really rocked on the bottom because I was throwing those elbows, and I felt no movement in his neck. In this sport you don’t stop until the ref pushes you off. Those elbows that I landed, I think he was out of it. What you’ll do to another human being inside this cage is crazy. It’s just my job, so I did what I had to do.”

Pico has won eight of his last nine Bellator appearances dating back to 2020 —and his lone defeat came when he suffered a shoulder injury in the opening stanza against Jeremy Kennedy. Pico believes his time has arrived, though it’s unclear exactly when reigning champion Patricio Freire will be ready to return to action after undergoing surgery for herniated discs.

“I believe I’m one of the best fighters in the world at featherweight,” he said. “The next step is to fight for the belt. I feel I’m ready physically and mentally. I’ve waited a long time for this. I’ve fought whoever they put in front of me. I believe I’m ready for the next opportunity.”

Pico made his Bellator MMA debut as one of the sport’s most heavily-hyped prospects in recent memory. He was not given an easy path early in his career, which led to him losing three of his first seven fights. While the California native appears to have turned a corner, he also appreciates the growth he went through during that process.

“I feel good with my journey,” Pico said. “I was thinking about this on the plane ride here. Of course, you want a perfect record. You want to be 16-0 with 15 knockouts, just perfect. That’s not life, to be honest with you. I’m a father now. I’m so happy with how my career went. I have a lot more wisdom now to share with my son.”