Aaron Pico will not make his long-awaited debut in July as planned.
On Thursday, the former Bellator fighter confirmed recent rumors that Movsar Evloev had been dropped from a scheduled fight at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26th. That’s unfortunate news that is expected to serve as a five-round co-main event on featherweight, that card, but now at least delayed.
That’s because Pico hinted at rebooking the fight against Evloev in UFC 319. This comes three weeks later, on August 16th, when Chicago promotion landed for a card where middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis found the card that won Khamzat Chimaev.
“I’m not going to sugar coat it. I’m pretty disappointed that it’s been pulled out from now on,” Pico wrote on Instagram. “I’ll make it happen, and I really hope you recover soon, what’s going on.
“That being said, my camp isn’t cheap. I’m ready to get there and have a show earlier than later. I understand there will be an opening for us in Chicago on August 16th. There’s no promotion to call the sick.
The UFC has not addressed a situation that has yet to be seen if there are plans to rebook Pico and Evloev for Chicago cards.
Evloev also does not admit that he had retreated from the card or that he had exactly happened to drop out of the fight with Pico.
Obviously, Pico is waiting for words with concern, hoping he will still get a fight with Evloev in his highly publicized UFC debut after signing a promotion in free agency.
The 28-year-old fighter has been widely considered one of the best prospects to move to MMA after competing in both wrestling and boxing at a young age. Pico is currently riding a three-game winning streak, including a back-to-back knockout in his recent appearance with a 9-1 record in the last 10 fights. He suffered his only loss after suffering a shoulder injury that forced him to stop in a match against Jeremy Kennedy in 2022.
As for Evloev, he is widely regarded as a top featherweight contender, with an unharmed resume that includes victory over Arnold Allen, Diego Lopez and Aljaman Sterling. Despite UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovsky seeking a title fight with Evloev, the promotion ultimately decided to give him Pico instead.
There is no word yet whether the UFC will proceed to re-book Pico vs. Evloev for a new date or if all the matchups will be discarded together after they drop from the Abu Dhabi card.