5 possible opponents for Aaron Pico

Aaron Pico is one of Bellator MMA’s most promising young talents. The No.4-ranked featherweight has been highly touted since making his professional debut at Bellator: NYC.

Pico’s debut didn’t exactly go the way he had hoped. It was a lightweight bout against Zach Freeman, who used his experience to his advantage and submitted him. After the loss, the 25-year-old went back to the drawing board and decided a move down to 145lbs would serve him better.

After winning four straight fights, he was on the receiving end of back-to-back knockouts that put him at a crossroads in his career. Pico has since turned things around and has evolved into a better fighter.

The California native has found a balance between his boxing and wrestling, which are areas he is great at. Being comfortable whether the fight is in the stand-up or the ground makes him a dangerous opponent at featherweight. This list will look at 5 possible opponents for Aaron Pico in Bellator.

---

#5. Pico vs. Emmanuel Sanchez

Kicking off this list of possible opponents for Aaron Pico is the No.6-ranked featherweight Emmanuel ‘El Matador’ Sanchez. The former title-challenger hasn’t had the best of luck in his recent fights. Sanchez was excellent in last year’s featherweight Grand Prix, where he fought then-Bellator featherweight champion Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire in the semi-finals. Sanchez was submitted by ‘Pitbull’, who then advanced to the finals.

'El Matador' is on a three-fight losing streak, so fighting Aaron Pico motivata him to get back on track. Based on their ranking in the division, a fight would make sense and would be a great indicator of how much Pico has improved.

Emmanuel Sanchez’s experience may come in handy against the rising phenom in the division. A win over the young prospect would surely get 'El Matador' back in the title picture. However, a win over an accomplished veteran like Sanchez could get Pico one-step closer to a title shot.

#4. Pico vs. Pedro Carvalho

Another possible opponent for Aaron Pico is Pedro 'The Game' Carvalho. Carvalho is ranked fifth, so it’d make sense if Bellator matched up the No.4 and No.5-ranked 145-pounders. In his most recent bout, 'The Game' defeated Daniel Weichel by unanimous decision to end his two-fight losing streak.

Prior to his bout with Justin Gonzalez at Bellator 271, Pico gave his thoughts on possibly fighting Carvalho in the future. He said that it didn’t matter who he fought and that he’d be open to fighting 'The Game.'

If Bellator were to book Aaron Pico vs. Pedro Carvalho, the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, would be a great option. 'The Game' resides in Dublin and fights out of popular Irish gym SBG Ireland. With that in mind, it’d be interesting to see how Pico would react to the crowd's response.

---

#3. Pico vs. Jeremy Kennedy

Another possible opponent for Pico is Jeremy 'JBC' Kennedy. The 29-year-old Canadian is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over former title-challenger Emmanuel Sanchez. It was a dominant win for Kennedy as all three judges scored the bout 30-27.

'JBC' has a wealth of experience competing in major promotions. Prior to joining Bellator, he fought in the UFC and PFL, and had a winning record. In fact, he went 3-1 in the UFC with his only loss coming against current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. He also had a winning record in the PFL at 2-1-1 NC. He has proven to be a good signing by Bellator as they continue adding more depth to their roster.

Kennedy defeating a former title-challenger like Sanchez fast-tracked him up the rankings and a fight with Pico could be inevitable. Since 'JBC' is currently the No.7-ranked Bellator featherweight, he may need one more win before getting in the title picture.

#2. Pico vs. Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire

Another possible opponent for Aaron Pico in Bellator is Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire. The former Bellator lightweight and featherweight champion is regarded by many as one of the greatest fighters in the promotion's history.

‘Pitbull’ lost his featherweight championship to A.J. McKee in the finals of the featherweight Grand Prix this past summer. Months later, Freire relinquished his lightweight championship with the intent of remaining at 145lbs. The division has some uncertainty because McKee has let it be known that he intends to eventually move to lightweight.

If McKee doesn’t return to featherweight, it’d make sense for ‘Pitbull’ to get an opportunity at fighting for the vacant title. And, Pico vs. ‘Pitbull' would make a lot of sense. They're well-rounded fighters that can hold their own in the stand-up or grappling on the ground. Both are entertaining fighters to watch and a potential bout between them has all the makings of being a classic.

---

#1. Pico vs. Adam Borics 2

Topping this list of possible opponents for Aaron Pico in Bellator is Adam 'The Kid' Borics. The two top-five ranked Bellator featherweights have fought each other in the past. Borics, the No.2-ranked Bellator featherweight, was victorious at Bellator 222 after a spectacular flying knee. At the time, it was Pico’s second-straight loss, making him 4-3 in MMA. It was significant as it was his last loss and led to significant changes to his gameplan.

Pico had mentioned his desire to avenge his loss, particularly to 'The Kid', as he felt it wasn’t his best performance.

“Yeah, I do want to fight Adam Borics. Absolutely. Absolutely. He knows I’m coming. His team knows I’m coming. He’s surrounded by a very very good team, but they know that they got very very lucky in that fight. So yeah, we’ll have to see.” Aaron Pico to VIBE 105.5FM Toronto

Pico and Borics are close in the rankings, so time will tell if Bellator pursues a rematch in 2022.