Aaron Pico | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC

Aaron Pico is finally in the UFC, and he has his sights set on the very top.

Earlier this month, Pico ended his free agency, signing a multi-fight deal with the UFC after competing exclusively for Bellator for the first 17 fights of his career. Speaking recently on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, Pico revealed that he almost made his way to the octagon much sooner.

“A lot people don’t know this … the UFC had an offer, too,” Pico said, when asked about making the transition to MMA from wrestling. “They had an offer but — I’m not going to go into too much detail — but I wasn’t aware of it, so I signed with Bellator. And I’m thankful for everything Scott Coker did for me, and Mike Hogan, Rich Chou, all those guys were great and that’s where I learned, but when I signed the contract with Bellator, then they let me know after I signed that the UFC was interested and willing to work with me. And it’s taken me eight years to get here. So that’s just how it all went down. …

“Now we’re here and the work is just starting. I don’t want a participation trophy for the UFC. I want a belt, and I’m not stopping.”

One of the most highly-touted prospects in MMA history, Pico was an accomplished freestyle wrestler and boxer before making the move to cage fighting in 2017. In his eight years in Bellator, Pico amassed a 13-4 professional record and established himself as one of the best featherweights in the world. But during that time, he always had his eye on the UFC, and now that he’s here, the goal is gold.

“I’m just such a competitor, that I’m like, ‘You think they’re the best? Wait until I get there and I show there’s a whole different level.’ I just want that opportunity,” Pico said “… We want that UFC belt. I want to go in the history books.

“Let’s just call it what it is. Patricio is a legend, honestly, one of the best fighters in the world. He has so many defenses in Bellator and titles and this and that, but at the end of the day, what does that really mean? If you don’t have that UFC belt, what does that really mean?”

Though Pico was rumored to be fighting Movsar Evloev in his debut, that fight never came to fruition and instead, Pico is now waiting on an opponent. And whenever that name and date come, the 28-year-old intends to make a statement that will catapult him right to a title fight in his sophomore outing.

“I will say this, I wrote down a goal — and I wrote this down maybe eight or nine months ago — and I said I want to be UFC champion by 2026,” Pico said. “That’s what I said. And I believe I can really do that. If they give me the fights, I go in there and do my job.

“[Ortega] or Aljamain Sterling, somebody like that. [Then] I say go straight to the title. I want the title. If I get a good knockout, why not fight for the title?”

TOP STORIES

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VIDEO STEW

MMA Fighting Rankings Show.

Between the Links.

Paddy Pimblett UFC 314 vlog.

Jack Slack film room.

UFC 315 promo.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Merab Dvalishvili practicing for Sean O’Malley.

Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman back to work in the gym.

Dustin Poirier in the gym as well.

Carlos Prates claps back at Ian Machado Garry.

Michael Chandler teaching his son a lesson about resilience after UFC 314.

Figgy Smalls with the head movement.

Dan Ige is down to clown.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Darren Till vs. Darren Stewart; Misfits Boxing 21, May 16.

FINAL THOUGHTS

A week off! A rarity in MMA so enjoy it (or enjoy PFL tonight, I suppose), and if you’ve got nothing else to do this weekend, we’re doing very chill, lowkey digital Watch Parties for both nights of Wrestlemania. Swing on by the YouTube channel and hang as I learn who these people are and what it all means in the world of scripted combat. Love y’all.

– Jed

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.