Jon Jones’ longtime coach Brandon Gibson has put a spotlight on Aaron Pico’s extraordinary discipline as the young featherweight prepares to make his <a href="https://www.buzzineintl.com/category/mma/ufc/”>UFC debut at UFC 319 on August 16 in Chicago. Pico, who gained recognition competing in Bellator, will face Lerone Murphy in a key co-main event that precedes the main middleweight title fight between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
After a successful weekend at UFC Vegas 109 with Anthony Hernandez’s win over Roman Dolidze, the UFC shifts focus to this next major pay-per-view, where Pico is expected to showcase his readiness on one of MMA’s biggest stages. His debut was initially planned for July against Movsar Evloev, but when that bout fell through, UFC quickly rescheduled Pico for the Chicago event, confident in his abilities.
Coach Highlights Pico’s Exceptional Focus and Skill Set
Brandon Gibson, who has trained numerous UFC Hall of Famers including Jon Jones, Carlos Condit, and Alistair Overeem, singled out Pico as perhaps the most disciplined athlete he has ever worked with. Speaking to Mike Owens of Inside Fighting, Gibson praised Pico’s remarkable focus and well-rounded fighting skills.
Probably the most disciplined athlete I’ve ever trained,
Gibson said, underlining the significance of this statement based on his experience with elite fighters.
He is just an impressive young man,
Gibson added,
His ability to stay focused for these durations, stay focused on his goal, it’s really impressive.
Gibson also emphasized Pico’s broad skill set, describing him as a
“well-rounded striker, amazing wrestler, amazing grappler,”
with continued improvements in all areas of his game.
High Expectations for UFC 319 Co-Main Event Winner
Although some within the MMA community argue for Movsar Evloev to earn next title shot opportunities or debate the upcoming eliminator bout between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho in Paris, former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes the winner of the Pico vs. Murphy fight should be next in line for a championship challenge. Cejudo shared his prediction during his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman, expressing optimism about the future featherweight title picture.
The winner of this fight is gonna fight Alexander Volkanovski, and I also feel the winner of this fight is gonna become our next champion,
Cejudo stated confidently.
He went on to acknowledge the young talents vying for the throne, admiring Pico’s early achievements and Murphy’s undefeated status.
All due respect to Volk, but dude, these young guns. Lerone Murphy is fighting Aaron Pico. Aaron Pico is in his f—- prime, bro. Power, wrestling; he has been a manchild since he was a kid, already competing at the highest levels while in high school, beating world champions.
And then Lerone Murphy, what he has been able to do to a lot of these fighters, man,
Cejudo added.
Undefeated, very tricky, brings in a lot of the wrestling; he’s different, he’s like Merab (Dvalishvili).
Significance of Aaron Pico’s UFC Debut and Future Prospects
Aaron Pico’s transition to the UFC stage represents not only a major step in his career but also an opportunity for the promotion to introduce another high-caliber athlete who could potentially rise to championship status. With Brandon Gibson’s endorsement of his work ethic and skill level, and Henry Cejudo’s belief that Pico could become the next featherweight champion, there is considerable excitement around Pico’s potential impact on the division.
The upcoming fight against Lerone Murphy will test Pico against an undefeated opponent known for his wrestling and unorthodox style, providing a critical measure of his readiness to contend with the division’s elite. Success on August 16 could fast-track Pico toward a title shot against current featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, reshaping the division’s hierarchy in the near future.