In an anticipated bout where both men needed a victory, Aaron Pico made a statement by taking out Losene Keita in just over a minute to kick off the UFC 333 main card.
“I just got to get smart and go back to my roots,” Pico said. “If I can do that, I can be a world champion.”
Pico added he wanted a rematch with Lerone Murphy and called out people in the UFC featherweight rankings sitting on the sidelines.
Despite a near-immediate takedown by Pico, Keita was able to get back up quickly and landed a strong left hand. Pico, however, landed a right hand that rocked Keita, stumbling him and putting him on the mat.
Pico then peppered Keita with a number of short punches until the referee stepped in.
Pico has now won five of his last six fights. He was knocked out dramatically by Murphy in his UFC debut at UFC 319. He rebounded with a decision over fellow Bellator alum Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327.
