Tag: Aaron Pico

Bellator 299 results: Aaron Pico runs through Pedro Carvalho, calls for title shot

Aaron Pico celebrated is 27th birthday with a dominant performance that could earn him a Bellator featherweight title shot.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] gave [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] no chance.

Pico, the Bellator featherweight contender, picked up a quick TKO win in the co-main event of Saturday’s Bellator 299 in Dublin. Pico (12-4 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) put away Carvalho (13-8 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) with ground-and-pound 3:05 into the first round. It was another dominant showing for Pico, this one on his 27th birthday.

Pico began picking apart Carvalho on the feet and mixing in his wrestling to get takedowns. In one of the exchanges, Pico caught Carvalho with an uppercut and dropped him to the canvas. From there, Pico began a non-stop attack of ground-and-pound until he got Carvalho to roll over and stop defending himself, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Following the win, Pico called for a title shot, saying he’s now finally ready to fight for gold and vowed that he will defend his belt once it’s his.

Currently, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire is out recovering from spinal surgery. He’s expected to return in early 2024. It’s uncertain if the promotion is going to implement an interim title in the division.

Pico is now on a two-fight winning streak since dislocating his shoulder against Jeremy Kennedy in October 2022, losing a by TKO due to injury. Prior to the injury, the JacksonWink fighter was on a six-fight winning streak, with all victories coming by stoppage.

Carvalho, on the other hand, finds himself on a two-fight losing streak and is 2-5 in his most recent seven fights. His last win came in September 2022, when he outpointed Mads Burnell in a unanimous decision.

Updated Bellator 299 results include:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Aaron Pico advises young fighters to focus on development, not championships: ‘There’s no rush’

Aaron Pico doesn’t want young fighters to make the same mistake he says he did early in his Bellator career.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] had to learn the hard way.

Pico’s start to his professional career was an unexpected one. He signed and debuted with Bellator at just 20 years of age, and came into the sport with several junior medals in wrestling and as a Junior Golden Gloves boxing champion. Pico promised the world, and he wanted just that as soon as possible.

Unfortunately for him, Pico suffered a submission loss in his debut and at one point found himself 4-3 as a professional. He was fighting far more experienced fighters than him.

Now, Pico is 7-1 since the rut, and the only defeat came due to an injury. He had to dial back on the level of competition as he learned the ropes in MMA. And now knocking on the door of a title shot, Pico advises young fighters to take their time.

“My advice is to develop,” Pico said at Thursday’s Bellator 299 media day. “There’s no rush. Everyone looks at Jon Jones as in, ‘I want to be the youngest (champion). I want to do this,’ but that’s an exception. That’s one guy. Your journey is different. I kind of made that mistake early on and said I want to be champion early on. This game is evolving so much and everyone is good. There’s no rush. You will be champion in due time – when the right time is for you.

“Take your time, (book the) right fights – because it’s a pain in the ass to get your confidence back. For me, I had to really dig deep and surround myself with good people and come back because my confidence was shot for a long time – and it’s coming back for sure.”

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Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) reurns to the cage this Saturday against Pedro Carvalho (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) in the co-main event of Bellator 299, which takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Although Carvalho is Portuguese, he’s been training at SBG Ireland for many years and is fan favorite in the country. Pico has yet to fight in enemy territory, but he’s excited for the opportunity.

“I’ve never done this in my career as far as MMA,” Pico said. “Of course in wrestling, I’ve been all over the world, and I’ve wrestled, but I think as an MMA fighter, it’s good for my development because I’m sure in the future I’m going to be in people’s backyards and fighting.

“They always say that the Irish are some of the best fans in the world, and I have the opportunity to put on a show in front of them, so it’s going to be good. I’m excited, but it doesn’t play (a factor). I’ve wrestled all over the world, and his fans can’t fight for him. His coaches can’t fight for him. It’s just him and I locked in there.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Aaron Pico sees ‘straightforward’ Pedro Carvalho as good style matchup at Bellator 299: ‘I have fought better strikers’

Aaron Pico doesn’t expect Pedro Carvalho to pose too many problems for him.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] doesn’t expect [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] to pose too many problems for him.

Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) faces Carvalho (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) in the co-main event of Bellator 299, which takes place Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Pico, one of the most highly touted contenders in Bellator, is coming off a unanimous decision win over James Gonzalez in April. He was able to rebound from a TKO loss due to shoulder injury against Jeremy Kennedy, which was his only loss since 2019. He is 7-1 in his past eight.

Former title challenger Carvalho has lost four of his past six. But the SBG Ireland fighter will mark one of Pico’s most experienced opponents to date, and Pico won’t underestimate him.

“I think he’s pretty straightforward,” Pico told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s southpaw (but) he switches to orthodox, as well – looks for a lot of guillotines and left body kicks. I think I have fought better strikers.

“But this game is crazy, and with 4-ounce gloves, this crazy sport, anything can happen. But we’ve really studied him and I’m really excited for this one. I think it’s a good style matchup for me so, I can’t wait.”

Pico says he’s been working a lot on his kicks recently, and would love to notch a spinning back kick knockout – even though his corner was shouting at him when he failed to effectively land them in his past fight against Gonzalez.

“That would be a great knockout, a spinning back kick,” Pico said. “You know what? I have a really good spinning back kick, to be honest with you, on the pads and things like that. It’s good, but it’s different in a fight. It’s really hard to get the timing down and to make sure he’s in the right spot to hit it. It’s a powerful kick, but it’s also a really hard kick to land. But I can do it pretty good on the pads.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

MMA Junkie Radio #3395: Guest Johnny Eblen, UFC wrap up, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,395, the guys had Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] as the guest on today’s show. They also reviewed the massive UFC card and all the storylines coming out. Tune in!

MMA Junkie Radio #3394: UFC 293 preview, guests Aaron Pico and Dan Ige

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,394, the guys look ahead to this weekend’s UFC 293, where Israel Adesanya puts his middleweight title on the line against Sean Strickland. The fellas also welcome two guest fighers – Bellator’s [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] and UFC’s [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]. Tune in!

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 29-June 4)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from May 29-June 4.

Aaron Pico to fight Pedro Carvalho at Bellator Dublin in September

Aaron Pico’s long and winding journey toward Bellator gold continues.

The long and winding journey of [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] toward Bellator gold continues.

In his next appearance, Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) will face fellow contender [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) at the promotion’s upcoming Dublin event scheduled for Sept. 23 at 3Arena.

Promotion officials Tuesday confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting.

Pico, 26, defeated James Gonzalez by unanimous decision in April. In doing so, he rebounded from a TKO loss due to shoulder injury against Jeremy Kennedy. The defeat against Kennedy is his only loss since 2019. He’s 7-1 over that stretch.

Carvalho, 27, is a former Bellator featherweight title challenger who has maintained his spot at the top of the division in recent years. Since he was knocked out by champion Patricio Freire in November 2020, Carvalho has alternated losses and wins. He is comes off a unanimous decision defeat to Jeremy Kennedy in February.

With the addition, the Bellator Dublin lineup now includes:

  • Champion Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for middleweight title
  • Pedro Carvalho vs. Aaron Pico
  • Brian Moore vs. Otto Rodrigues
  • Mads Burnell vs. Daniel Weichel
  • Sara Collins vs. Sinead Kavanagh
  • Luke Trainer vs. Laurynas Urbonavicius
  • Mark Ewen vs. Noah Gugnon
  • Kenny Mokhonoana vs. Josh O’Connor
  • Chiara Penco vs. Mackenzie Stiller
  • Roman Debienne vs. Nicolo Solli

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Dublin.

Aaron Pico calls for interim Bellator title fight against Jeremy Kennedy: ‘We shouldn’t hold up the division’

Solely focused on what’s next, Aaron Pico wants to avenge a loss to Jeremy Kennedy – and for Bellator to put gold on the line.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] has an idea.

Saturday at Bellator 295, Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) defeated James Gonzalez (10-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) by unanimous decision at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena and immediately set his sights on his next move.

“I’m ready to fight for a world championship,” Pico told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “‘Pitbull’ is going down and from what I heard he’s staying down. I think Jeremy Kennedy and I should fight for an interim title. I think it makes sense. We shouldn’t hold up the division. When ‘Pitbull’ is ready to come up, I’ll be more than happy to welcome him to the division.”

Pico, 26, has slowly risen to top contender status since his professional debut under the Bellator banner in 2017. He experienced losses early, but since January 2020 has only lost once – a TKO defeat due to injury against Jeremy Kennedy in October. Pico dislocated his shoulder early in the fight, and the bout was stopped in between Rounds 1 and 2 when his corner could not put it back into place.

With champion Patricio Freire set to challenge Sergio Pettis for the bantamweight title June 16 at Bellator 297 in Chicago, Pico thinks it’s the perfect time for an interim title implementation in a rematch against Kennedy (19-3 MMA, 4-1 BMMA). It would be Pico’s first five-round bout.

“I’m going to fight for a world championship,” Pico said. “Whatever I need to do, I’m going to fight. I’m No. 3. I’m No. 3 in the rankings right now. I’ve taken risks fighting guys who are not ranked. That’s a big risk, but that’s not my fault. There are guys in the top 10 who have turned down fights with me, and there’s nothing I can do. I think that I need to fight somebody above me. But I think that what makes the most sense is fighting for that title.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

Bellator 295 results: Aaron Pico’s body shots, wrestling lead to win over James Gonzalez

At Bellator 295, Aaron Pico likely would’ve had a finish if James Gonzalez wasn’t so tough and durable.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] utilized a concoction of brutal body punches and heavy wrestling to get back in the win column Saturday at Bellator 295.

If it wasn’t for the toughness of opponent [autotag]James Gonzalez[/autotag], the judges wouldn’t have had much work to do. Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) defeated Gonzalez (10-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) handily by unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 across the board.

Pico unleashed big hooks to the body and head throughout the opening round. He remained patient as Gonzalez intermittently countered with short standing elbows that snuck through the guard. Pico utilized the clinch and cagework in between combinations.

In Round 2, Pico went to his wrestling. Heavy on the canvas, Pico was able to control Gonzalez. The threat of the wrestling was there for the remainder of the fight, as Pico used it to open up his striking even more.

Pico hasn’t had a linear path toward his current position as a top featherweight contender in Bellator. Since his professional debut, Pico has had his ups and downs. But since January 2020, Pico has only lost once – and it was in his previous fight before Saturday night and it was a TKO due to shoulder injury against Jeremy Kennedy.

Gonzalez was a short-notice replacement who filled in for Otto Rodrigues. A member of Longo and Weidman MMA, Gonzalez found some big promotion success with a win over Cody Law in Bellator and a victory over Vikas Singh Ruhil in PFL Challenger Series before Saturday’s fight snapped the two-fight winning streak.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 295 results include:

  • Aaron Pico def. James Gonzalez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Mads Burnell def. Justin Gonzales via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Kai Kamaka def. Adli Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Sumiko Inaba def. Veta Arteaga via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Aalon Cruz def. Bobby King via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Davion Franklin def. Kasim Aras via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bruna Ellen def. Ilara Joanne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Masayuki Kikuiri def. Alexey Shurkevich via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 4:33

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

Aaron Pico explains why he was eager to take short-notice fight at Bellator 295

Aaron Pico was determined to fight at Bellator 295 at all costs

HONOLULU – [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] just wants to resume his fighting career.

After suffering a gruesome shoulder injury back in October, which cost him a TKO loss by doctor’s stoppage to Jeremy Kennedy, Pico (10-4 MMA, 10-4 BMMA) is eager to return to the cage and pick back where he left off. He will get a chance to do so this Saturday on the main card of Bellator 295,which goes down at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena.

Pico fights short-notice replacement James Gonzalez (10-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). The 26-year-old didn’t hesitate to accept the fight on just a week’s notice after his original opponent Otto Rodrigues withdrew from the fight.

“I got a call from Ali (my manager) and I immediately knew it was going to be something,” Pico recalled the moment his original fight fell through, speaking with reporters at the Bellator 295 media day on Wednesday. “The first words I said were, ‘Otto is out, right?,’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah.’ I said yes to whoever asked me to fight because that’s pretty much my answer every time, Yes, yes, yes.’ I immediately sent that to Greg and Brandon and got to work.”

Pico was on a six-fight winning streak prior to the shoulder injury in October. He got shoulder surgery shortly after and immediately got back to work one he got the green light from the doctors.

The Bellator featherweight contender wasn’t going to waste a single second more than the required amount of time needed to recover from the surgery.

“I just called Ali when I got cleared with my shoulder, I said I want to fight as soon as possible, you know, that I can fight in April,” Pico said. “I’ve been in training camp and, you know, even after the surgery, I didn’t really take much time off. I was straight into rehab and, and lifting weights, eating good, so I feel like I’ve been in camp since my surgery. I didn’t take the time to, to get fat and just, you know, as a vacation, I really, really, rested and worked out. It would have sucked to not be able to fight.

I love doing this and, I’m really happy that Rodriguez stepped in and, it’s a tough opponent. I’m not taking him very lightly. He’s a southpaw. He’s under Matt Serra and I believe Ray Longo, those guys are great coaches, and I’m not a guy to take anything for granted. I’ve lost in this game. I’ve been humbled and, yeah, we’re not taking this guy lightly, but I felt I’ve fought southpaws, and I have finished a lot of the southpaws: John de Jesus and Aidan Lee. So we quickly went with the coaches and, and reviewed our notes and, and we’re ready.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

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