History of Aaron Pico in Timeline

Aaron Pico is an American mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He competes in the featherweight division, currently fighting in Bellator MMA. He has fought in 17 bouts.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

September 23, 1996: Aaron Pico's Birth

On September 23, 1996, Aaron Pico, an American mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler, was born.

Others born on this day/year

2008: National champion in Pankration

In 2008, Pico was a national champion in Pankration. He also won the national PAL championship in boxing.

2009: Junior Golden Gloves champion

In 2009, Pico was the national Junior Golden Gloves champion and won 'most outstanding boxer' at the tournament.

2010: Victory over Jason Ness

In 2010, At the US Olympic Team Trials, Pico defeated Jason Ness, 2010 NCAA champion.

2010: Victory over Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran

In 2010, Pico had a notable victory over Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran, the 2010 Asian Games Gold medalist from Mongolia.

2010: Golden cup European Pankration championship

In 2010, Pico won the golden cup European Pankration championship in Ukraine.

2012: Defeated Frank Molinaro first round

In 2012, At the US Olympic Team Trials, Pico defeated Frank Molinaro, 2012 NCAA champion, first round.

2013: U17 World Champion

In 2013, Pico became the U17 World Champion in freestyle wrestling.

2013: Henri Deglane Grand Prix win

In November 2013, Aaron Pico earned the biggest win of his career by winning the Henri Deglane Grand Prix, defeating 2013 World Champion David Safaryan in the finals.

April 2014: Signed shoe endorsement with Nike

In April 2014, Aaron Pico signed a multi-year shoe endorsement with Nike.

November 2014: Signed with Bellator MMA

In November 2014, Aaron Pico signed a long-term contract with Bellator MMA and Viacom, as their new blue chip prospect.

2014: Signed endorsement contracts

In 2014, as the top-ranked high school wrestler, Pico signed endorsement contracts with Dethrone Royalty and Nike, Inc., turning professional and becoming ineligible for NCAA collegiate wrestling.

2014: U20 US National Championship

In April 2014, Pico claimed the U20 US National Championship by defeating Zain Retherford. He then defeated him two more times in June for the U20 US World Team spot.

2015: Victory over Andrei Karpach

In 2015, Pico had a notable victory over Andrei Karpach, the 2015 U23 European Continental medalist from Belarus.

2016: Olympic alternate in freestyle wrestling

In 2016, Pico competed in freestyle wrestling at 65 kilograms and was an Olympic alternate.

2016: Focus solely on freestyle

In 2016, Pico intended to focus solely on freestyle to continue a mixed martial arts career after an Olympic run, foregoing further education.

2016: Qualified for the US Olympic Team Trials

In 2016, Pico placed fourth at the US National Championships, which qualified him for the 2016 US Olympic Team Trials.

2016: U20 World Championships

In August 2016, Pico competed at the U20 World Championships, defeating Daichi Takatani from Japan and four more opponents before losing to Hassan Yazdani from Iran.

June 24, 2017: Professional MMA Debut and Loss

On June 24, 2017, Aaron Pico made his professional MMA debut at Bellator NYC but lost to Zach Freeman via submission in the first round.

September 23, 2017: First Win in Bellator

On September 23, 2017, Pico moved to the featherweight division and secured his first win in Bellator against Justin Linn, winning via knockout in the first round.

January 20, 2018: TKO Victory over Shane Krutchen

On January 20, 2018, Pico defeated Shane Krutchen at Bellator 192 via TKO in the first round.

May 12, 2018: TKO Victory over Lee Morrison

On May 12, 2018, Pico secured a TKO victory over Lee Morrison at Bellator 199 in the first round.

September 29, 2018: Technical Knockout Victory over Leandro Higo

On September 29, 2018, Pico defeated Leandro Higo at Bellator 206 via technical knockout in round one.

January 26, 2019: Knockout Loss to Henry Corrales

On January 26, 2019, Pico faced Henry Corrales at Bellator 214 and lost via knockout in the first round.

June 14, 2019: Technical Knockout Loss to Ádám Borics

On June 14, 2019, Pico faced Ádám Borics at Bellator 222 and lost via technical knockout in the second round.

January 25, 2020: Knockout Victory over Daniel Carey

On January 25, 2020, Pico faced Daniel Carey at Bellator 238 and won via knockout in the second round.

July 24, 2020: Submission Victory over Chris Hatley Jr.

On July 24, 2020, Pico faced Chris Hatley Jr. at Bellator 242 and won the fight via submission in the first round.

November 12, 2020: Knockout Victory over John de Jesus

On November 12, 2020, Pico faced John de Jesus at Bellator 252 and won via second-round knockout.

April 16, 2021: Pico Pulls Out of Bellator 257

On April 16, 2021, Pico was initially scheduled to face Aiden Lee at Bellator 257, but he had to pull out of the bout due to medical issues on April 4.

June 11, 2021: Submission Victory over Aiden Lee

On June 11, 2021, Pico faced Aiden Lee at Bellator 260, winning via submission in the third round after their initial bout was rescheduled.

November 12, 2021: Unanimous Decision Victory over Justin Gonzales

On November 12, 2021, Pico faced Justin Gonzales at Bellator 271, winning the bout in dominant fashion via unanimous decision.

2021: Birth of Son

In 2021, Pico and his wife Kylie had a son.

April 15, 2022: TKO Victory over Adli Edwards

On April 15, 2022, Pico was scheduled to face Jeremy Kennedy but instead faced Adli Edwards at Bellator 277, winning the bout via TKO in the third round.

October 1, 2022: Bout Stopped against Jeremy Kennedy due to Dislocated Shoulder

On October 1, 2022, Pico's bout against Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator 286 was stopped after the first round due to a dislocated shoulder sustained during the fight.

April 22, 2023: Unanimous Decision Victory over James Gonzalez

On April 22, 2023, Pico faced James Gonzalez at Bellator 295, winning the bout via unanimous decision after Otto Rodrigues withdrew due to injury.

September 23, 2023: TKO Victory over Pedro Carvalho

On September 23, 2023, Pico faced Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 299 and won the fight via ground and pound TKO in the first round.

February 24, 2024: TKO Victory over Henry Corrales

On February 24, 2024, Pico won his rematch against Henry Corrales via TKO in the first round at PFL vs. Bellator.

December 31, 2024: Expiration of Bellator Contract

On December 31, 2024, Pico's agent announced that his contract with Bellator and the matching period was expiring in January, making him a free agent.

April 8, 2025: Signed with the UFC

On April 8, 2025, it was reported that Pico had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

May 17, 2025: Initial UFC Debut Schedule

On May 17, 2025, Pico was initially scheduled to make his UFC debut against Movsar Evloev at UFC Fight Night 256, but the bout did not come to fruition.