Even one of the most-driven athletes in combat sports sometimes needs a push. So any time Aaron Pico needs a little motivation, he pulls up one specific video.
“When I have like 10 minutes left on the treadmill and I’m hurting, I put it on and it goes by so fast,” Pico said in April.
Yet this isn’t any old “Baba O’Riley” by The Who. This is the UFC’s brilliant reimagining of one of the all-time rock anthems played before the main card of their live events, adding fighter walkouts and highlights and the real-time voices of commentators like Mike Goldberg, Joe Rogan and Jon Anik to the chords of Pete Townsend, the wails of Roger Daltrey and the frenetic violin crescendo of Dave Arbus.
For years, it has been the go-to fuel for Pico’s singular ambition – to go from world-class wrestler to the best featherweight in MMA’s premier organization.
On Saturday, Pico’s quest will be one step closer to reality when the Whittier native makes his UFC debut against undefeated Lerone Murphy in the UFC 319 co-main event at United Center in Chicago.
And that familiar song will blast throughout the United Center roughly two hours before Pico makes his initial walk as a UFC fighter.
“Yeah, it’s going to put a smile on my face, because that’s something that has really kept me motivated,” said Pico, who went 13-4 in Bellator MMA and Professional Fighters League before signing with the UFC in April. “Even in the times when I was with Bellator and I’ve taken the hard losses, I’ve replayed that video thousands of times, headed to the gym, and one day I’m gonna make it. Even on a two-fight losing streak and getting knocked out, when everybody said, ‘No, you’re (bleeping) done,’ I still played that.”
Pico, 28, has been in the spotlight for years as the next big thing in MMA. That included making his much-ballyhooed Bellator debut at the age of 18 under the bright lights at Madison Square Garden, only for the can’t-miss kid to tap out in 24 seconds. He endured consecutive knockout losses in 2019 and had a six-fight winning streak halted by a dislocated shoulder in 2022.
Pico credits those setbacks for where’s he’s at today. He’s won three consecutive fights and was successful in getting PFL to let him go. Though he hasn’t fought in 18 months and will be making his first foray into the UFC, the former St. John Bosco High wrestling star says he might be a UFC newcomer, but he’s not new to the game.
“Even when I’m driving, I’m practicing being at a press conference and I’m practicing being in the Octagon and doing a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan,” Pico said in an exclusive interview Friday. “I’ve replayed that so many times in my head that it just feels like I’m in the right place and I’m going to do my job Saturday night, so it doesn’t feel really out of the ordinary for me.”
And in the cage, nothing feels unmanageable. Upon moving to Albuquerque in 2019 to train at Jackson Wink MMA Academy, Pico has added a strong grappling game to his already elite wrestling and tenacious striking.
What’s more, under the tutelage of coaches Greg Jackson and Brandon Gibson, he has conditioned his mind. So when Murphy (16-0-1), who is coming off unanimous-decision victories over fellow 145-pounders Edson Barboza, Dan Ige and Josh Emmett, blusters about knocking Pico out Saturday, it’s all taken in stride.
“The way I take it is that if he’s focused on the knockout, then that’s a good thing for me, because there’s a lot of emotional value that he’s putting on himself,” said Pico, who came home for two weeks recently to visit family and train with strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta.
“Me? I’m just in my own zone, and all I’m thinking about is winning. He’s focused on a knockout. I’m focused on winning.”
The one onus hanging over Pico’s premiere bout in the UFC is he is following in the footsteps of recent Bellator/PFL expats Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix. Both former champs suffered shockingly disappointing losses in their UFC debuts.
Pico has been hounded about the surprising trend, but he doesn’t see it as a concern.
“I’ve been telling the people that Patricio Pitbull is a great fighter, Patchy Mix is a great fighter, and they’ve done their thing. But they’re no Aaron Pico,” he said. “I’m Aaron Pico. I’m not Patchy Mix, I’m not Patricio Pitbull … I’m my own person. I bring a whole different set of skill sets that come in the UFC.
“And honestly, it feels really good to be recognized and treated well here, but I know what the job is, and that’s to win.”
UFC 319
Main event: middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzay Chimaev
Co-main event: featherweights Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico
When: Saturday
Where: United Center, Chicago
How to watch: early prelims (3 p.m., ESPN+, Disney+); prelims (5 p.m., ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+); main card (7 p.m., PPV via ESPN+)