INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Bellator president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] liked what he saw from [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] on Saturday night.
Coker was content with Pico’s performance at Bellator 238 at The Forum. The young prospect, who entered the event coming off back-to-back stoppage loses, picked up a dominant second-round knockout over Daniel Carey to bounce back from a skid that had some doubting his future in the sport.
Coker thought Pico (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) showed enough to prove he’s developing and advancing in his game as a mixed martial artist.
“Aaron Pico is back. He looked great,” Coker said following the event. “He had a great knockout, and I thought he was a fighter who had a lot of patience in there. He wasn’t just rushing in, trying to finish. He looked like he took a step forward in his development as an athlete and a mixed martial arts fighter.
“I think Pico showed me you have to be patient in there and have to work certain things. What I saw was a patient fighter that wasn’t just looking for the one punch knockout, even though he knocked him out in the end.
“I’m proud of him, really. This is the thing, and as a promoter I always tell my athletes, ‘You have to continue to get better in something that you’re weak in. If you’re a grappler, don’t just grapple, go out there and work on your stand up, take some chances, because this is MMA. One day you’ll meet another grappler like you, and the standup is what’s going to make the difference.’ It’s their job to continue to grow, and I saw Aaron grow and lift today.”
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Facing some of the best and most experienced fighters in Bellator, Pico had a rough start to his MMA career. It was maybe one many didn’t see coming, keeping in mind his prestigious accolades as a national Junior Golden Gloves champion and U.S national wrestling champion.
Although Coker remains high on Pico’s potential, he wants to be cautions with matchmaking the 23-year-old fighter moving forward.
“I think that we should probably let him rest, but my goal is to have him back soon and maybe have him get another two or three fights before the end of the year,” Coker said. “Maybe we can turn him loose at that point and have him fight some of the bigger guys.
“He has to prove that he can continue improving and rebuilding because, you know, if you’re the same fighter you were a year ago, you’re going to have a hard time. You have to grow, and I saw some growth today, but let’s see how he looks at the end of the year.”
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