Dustin Poirier believes Aaron Pico’s debut at UFC 319 did not go to plan because the newcomer “got in his own way.”
Chicago hosted a busy 12-fight card, headlined by Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
The main event wasn’t the only highlight, though. Carlos Prates knocked out Geoff Neal with a spinning elbow, and Lerone Murphy handed Aaron Pico a tough introduction to the UFC with another spinning elbow knockout.
Pico came out strong and looked to press the action early, but that approach ended up costing him dearly. Murphy caught him with a perfectly timed spinning elbow as Pico pushed forward.
Despite past knockout losses, the 28-year-old has always rebounded. Now, he will have to do it at a higher level, and there is already some advice that could help him to succeed.
Dustin Poirier suggests Aaron Pico needs to slow down after UFC 319 defeat
Pico’s MMA debut in 2017 ended abruptly, as he was submitted by a guillotine choke merely 24 seconds into the bout.
His first appearance in the UFC did not last much longer either. Lerone Murphy made the most of Pico’s forward pressure, finishing things at 3:21 of the opening round.
UFC legend Dustin Poirier, speaking on the UFC 319 post-show, thinks Pico’s self-belief may have played a part in how things unfolded.
“He’s all in when he fights,” Poirier said about Pico.
“When he’s coming in to throw these combinations, he’s sharp, but he’s explosive. He doesn’t do any feel-out punches, no jabs, no setups. Everything is kill.
“And when you do that, you win big, which he has done, or you lose big.
“So I would like to see a little middle ground – him feeling out shots and setting them up – being more patient because he has the skills and believes in them,” Poirier continued.
“That’s why he’s going forward like he does. But you have to set it up against this caliber of fighter. You can’t just rush in there, jump in there, throwing 100% every punch. You have to make them guess. You have to set traps. You have to make them, make mistakes, then put them away…
“He has those tools, but he’s getting in his own way.”
Chael Sonnen believes Aaron Pico might be the hardest worker in MMA
Pico came into his UFC debut at UFC 319 with plenty of hype behind him.
Once considered one of the top prospects in MMA, Pico’s first outing in the Octagon ended quickly when he was stopped by a spinning elbow.
Chael Sonnen spoke about Pico’s work ethic, calling him one of the sport’s hardest workers.
“I have never seen Pico lose a match where there wasn’t a little bit more to the story. I’ve never seen him lose a match where he wasn’t doing well. His shoulder goes out, he gets caught…”
Sonnen added: “Tonight he takes a spinning elbow. I mean, those are one in a million shots, and they seem to land on Pico.
“I feel very bad for the young man. He is possibly the hardest worker in the entire sport,” Sonnen said of the 13-5 featherweight.”
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