LOS ANGELES – Aaron Pico has been guided into Bellator 286 by an all-star cast of names.
Pico (10-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA), who meets Jeremy Kennedy in a key bantamweight bout on tonight’s card at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif., has had no shortage of positive influence going into a bout he believes could secure him a title shot for the first time.
Although he’s no stranger with working with decorated names, the lead-up to Bellator 278, which airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie, has been something especially unique.
Pico’s coach Brandon Gibson connected him with former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, who was very close throughout training camp.
“Carlos and coach Gibson are very, very close – like brothers – and I just said, ‘Hey, listen. I need a change. There’s some things I’m looking to learn and I think Carlos can really help me with it,'” Pico told MMA Junkie. “It did. I started working with him two, three days a week with one-on-ones and privates and he’s really shown me a lot. He’s a legend and I look forward to continuing to work with him after this fight.”
Another marquee name Pico crossed paths with is former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson. “El Cucuy” stopped at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., ahead of his UFC 279 fight vs. Nate Diaz, and Pico said his knowledge was undeniable.
“I drilled with him a little bit,” Pico said. “I didn’t really do much with him because he’s so much bigger than me. We didn’t get to spar, but I’m super happy and proud of is when Tony came in, he wasn’t a big-leaguer or anything like that. He really took his time to show amateurs things and show up-and-comers new moves. He really did. … He’s a really humble guy and I’m really happy that I met him and everyone in the gym was so excited when he walked in. He’s a legend.”
To cap it all off, Pico got a fight week phone call from one of his idols in the sport, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Pico and Jones have many career parallels, and that’s created a bond between them in recent years. To get an extra boost of encouragement meant a lot to Pico, he said, and he’s ready to deliver with a stellar performance.
“He just said, ‘Winners win. Go out there and win, we expect you to win. It’s as simple as that… Just go out there and win, do your job,'” Pico said. “I really like Jon Jones a lot, he’s really shown me a lot of cool moves and sometimes he’ll be on FaceTime and watch me hit pads. He’ll give me a little advice here and I’m very thankful for the knowledge, he’s the greatest of all time, there’s no doubt about it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.
