Aaron Pico believes the sky’s the limit under Jackson-Wink MMA.
Tomorrow night (June 14), Pico will share the cage with Adam Borics. The bout is set to be featured on the Bellator 222 card. The event takes place inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Aaron Pico Wants To Showcase Skills Under Jackson-Wink MMA
MMA News caught up with Pico during the Bellator 222 media day session. Pico said a lot has changed since his mixed martial arts debut back in 2017:
“Yeah I know what to expect now. I’ve been around the block six times. I’ve been doing interviews, I know where everything’s at. First fight everything was new to me, I was like a puppy stumbling. [I] didn’t know where to go, things like that. But now I know where everything’s at and I know what I need to do to go get the win on Friday.”
While Pico admits he’d like to right the wrong of his last trip to NYC, he doesn’t want to overthink things:
“Yeah, it’s like any other fight though. I put a lot of emotion into the fights and things like that, but yeah I’d love to walk out of here victorious. It’s a hell of a fight to have on your resume at Madison Square Garden walking out with a victory, so that’s what I’m looking to do.”
Many have questioned why Pico hasn’t had a more steady progression in his career rather than being thrown to the wolves early. Pico insists that it isn’t up to him:
“Well that’s beyond my control. I’m not a matchmaker, don’t work for Bellator as far that aspect. I work for Bellator because I’m a fighter. They bring these fights and I say yes and a lot of people don’t accept the fights. That’s what people need to realize. If some of these Bellator guys aren’t accepting fights, what can I do? I have to go fight tougher guys. Obviously [there’s] a lot of attention on me, so obviously people are scared to fight me. Look at the punching power, look at the skills I haven’t shown. So it’s a scary fight for a lot of people.”
When Pico made the move to Jackson-Wink MMA, it turned a lot of heads. Pico praised head coach Greg Jackson for his game planning:
“That was the biggest thing. My first impression was just game planning. Minimizing the risk with high reward. And [we] really put together a good game plan with all the coaches there, so I’m excited to show my skills on Friday. That’s the biggest thing. A lot of his fighters are great because of Greg. He’s a great leader, that’s the only way I can put it. That’s somebody that you trust what he says. If he tells you to do something in a fight, you’re gonna trust everything he says. That’s the feeling I get working with Greg, so I’m excited. Going into battle, you need that.”
Pico has received a ton of support despite two setbacks and he’s surprised by it, but he has a message for his detractors:
“A little bit. I’ve lost to guys I shouldn’t have lost to, so I just want to say to all the fans I appreciate them sticking by me. I really do because I put my soul into this. I do the best I possibly can and [when you] f*cking come up short, you let a lot of people down. And I’ve let a lot of people down. There’s not much that you can do other than make it to the top. But when I do make it to that top, people that have stuck by me it’s gonna feel a lot better. The people that send you rude comments and say stupid sh*t, thank you.”
MMA News is on the scene in New York City for Bellator 222. Join us tomorrow night for live coverage of the event.
