Aaron Pico (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Aaron Pico is a free agent, and he has made it clear: he doesn’t want to fight for the Professional Fighters League.
Pico has also made it clear that he wants to sign with the UFC. UFC President Dana White didn’t hide his team’s desire to sign Pico—so the interest is obviously mutual.
That situation seems pretty cut and dry. It is and it isn’t. Still, it is in Pico and the PFL’s best interest to part ways immediately. While Pico is a free agent eligible to receive offers from other promotions, the PFL has the right to match any offer he receives from another promotion for a year.
Pico doesn’t want that, and while the 28-year-old is ready to get back into action, he’s so adamant about not fighting for the PFL again that he’s willing to sit out a year to prevent PFL President Donn Davis from matching the offer he’s sure to get from the UFC.
The PFL inherited Pico’s contract when it purchased Bellator in November 2023. The purpose of the purchase was to strengthen the PFL’s roster. Champions and fighters like Johnny Eblen, Corey Anderson, Patricio Pitbull, AJ McKee, Cris Cyborg, and Aaron Pico immediately brought a higher level of respect to the PFL’s roster.
However, multiple fighters from the short list above have asked for or been granted their release from the PFL. In fact, Pitbull was signed by the UFC, and his first fight was part of a massive announcement from White on February 19.
Because of Pico’s age, 28, he is one of the more valuable fighters attached to the PFL. That explains why the PFL probably isn’t enthused about him immediately landing with the UFC.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 24: Aaron Pico attacks from the top against Henry Corrales during … [+]
In Pico’s situation, fighters are well aware they only have a short window to compete. Pico came into MMA with one of the most impressive amateur pedigrees we’ve ever seen. As a pro, Pico is 13-4, and he hasn’t lost a fight—beyond a loss caused by a first-round shoulder injury in 2022—in nearly six years. During that stretch, Pico is 9-1.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Pico talked about wanting to get back to work, as it is his livelihood.
Like Anderson, Pitbull, and Eblen, Pico has complained about a lack of activity since the PFL purchased Bellator, and that’s the primary reason he wants out.
Pico and others have pelted the PFL with criticism. Pitbull and Anderson were loud and consistent with their complaints about inactivity. Pitbull got his release and a great first fight with the UFC against Yair Rodriguez. Anderson has a fight scheduled with the PFL in July, but in the meantime, he is looking to find a boxing match.
Eblen has been the most recent to complain about inactivity and no communication from the PFL.
It can’t feel good for a PFL fighter like Pico, Anderson or Eblen to have established themselves with a promotion, but to have to watch the UFC announce what felt like a million fights on Wednesday while you still have nothing official.
Quite honestly, while it may not be directly impacting the organization financially, the PFL’s reputation is taking a public beating.
The PFL has a set of lucrative tournaments beginning in April that will run through August and their Champions Series starts in July.
Rather than being able to focus on the fighters who are participating in those events, too much of what is written and discussed are the voices of the promotion’s more popular fighters who want out.
At this point, Pico will not positively impact the PFL. Matching an offer he receives from the UFC is essentially playing keep-away from White and Co.
In business, there are times when playing keep-away is in a party’s best interest. Perhaps Davis and the PFL believe that not relinquishing their rights to match buys them time to negotiate with Pico.
However, this doesn’t appear to be one of those situations–as Pico seems determined to stick to his guns.
By not waiving their right to match an offer for Pico, the PFL is running the risk of further damaging its reputation with fighters. That’s not good for recruitment moving forward. To put things plainly, the risk doesn’t match the reward.
I hope the PFL lets Pico go so that he and the promotion can hopefully move on and prosper. It’s time to focus on the fighters who actually want to fight for you.
