Aaron Pico’s UFC debut will come in the form of a five-round bout against Movsar Evloev on July 26.
The featherweight (145 pounds) pairing will co-headline UFC Fight Night inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, a card that will be topped by a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder
Pico (13-4) has fought his entire MMA career outside of the UFC to this point. He signed a developmental contract with Bellator MMA in 2014, three years before making his actual debut. He is 9-1 in his past 10, and was in line for a featherweight title shot in Bellator when the promotion was absorbed by the PFL earlier this year.
He will face a monster of a challenge in his first UFC appearance. Evloev (19-0), of Russia, holds an undefeated record across over a decade of competition and is currently the UFC’s No. 4-ranked featherweight contender. He would likely have vied for a UFC championship by now, but has struggled to book high profile opportunities, in part due to his high decision rate. All nine of his UFC wins have gone the distance.
The winner of this contest will be a strong candidate for a future UFC title shot. Current champion Alexander Volkanovski has not yet booked his next title defense.
