Pico On Sterling And Allen Falling Through

Aaron Pico cycled through two ranked featherweight opponents before landing on Losene Keita for UFC 333 on Oct. 24.

Pico was originally set to meet former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, according to BJ Penn.com, but that bout never materialized. The promotion then matched him with No. 5-ranked Arnold Allen, who pulled out due to injury. Pico told MMA Junkie Radio that he welcomed both fights and is not concerned about protecting his standing in the rankings.

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Pico's Approach To Opponent Selection

"It's been a crazy few months, because I thought I was going to fight Aljamain Sterling," Pico said, per MMA Junkie. "That's the fight that I thought I was going to get, but that didn't go through. So, they told me I was fighting Arnold Allen, and I was really excited."

Pico sits somewhere between No. 12 and No. 13 at featherweight but said his ranking does not drive his decisions. He explained that sitting idle to chase a specific name runs counter to his goal of accumulating experience and eventually winning a title. Keita is viewed as a live threat capable of derailing Pico's momentum in the division.

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Pico is 1-1 in the UFC after a knockout loss to Lerrone Murphy in his debut and a decision win over Patricio Freire at UFC 327.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Aaron Pico lost two top-ranked opponents before accepting Losene Keita fight: “It’s been a crazy few months”