Aaron Pico is caught between a rock and a tough place.
Regardless of fulfilling the time period of his contract with the PFL, the 28-year-old featherweight contender continues to be sitting in limbo on account of an identical interval that the promotion maintains. Which means if Pico in the end reaches a take care of the UFC — the choice he’s publicly acknowledged he needs most — the PFL might match the supply and he could be pressured to return to combat there as an alternative.
PFL co-founder Donn Davis made it clear that the group is simply dwelling as much as the phrase of the contract that Pico signed however UFC legend Matt Brown believes abiding by that deal is doing much more hurt than good within the court docket of public opinion.
“F*ck that,” Brown mentioned about PFL refusing to let Pico go in the course of the newest episode of The Fighter vs. the Author. “He’s grown above the PFL and they need to acknowledge that and know that and be cool [about it]. In the event that they need to get extra new stars developing and signal these guys, they must let him go. It’s going to be within the information, and the following man’s going to be like ‘I’m not signing with PFL.’
“Everyone needs to get to the f*cking UFC and that’s all there’s to it. You’re not going to be No. 2 or an in depth No. 2 or one thing. No. Everyone is No. 2. You’re all equally No. 2. You’re all beneath. So simply settle for it, and let the f*cking child go.”
If PFL opts to take care of these matching rights, Pico revealed he would have to sit out for another year earlier than he would lastly be free and clear to signal with any promotion as an unrestricted free agent.
Pico has already been out of motion for a yr together with his most up-to-date look coming again in February 2024 and one other yr of inactivity would clearly lower into the prime of his profession.
Maybe the hardest tablet for Pico to swallow is figuring out that the UFC has made it identified publicly that the promotion needs to signal him to a deal. Simply this previous weekend at UFC Seattle, UFC CEO Dana White pointed to considered one of his matchmakers and mentioned “that man loves Aaron Pico … when these guys love you as a lot as they do, I believe good issues are most likely going to occur.”
“I don’t need to see Aaron Pico sit out a yr,” Brown mentioned. “I need to see him within the UFC. You need to see him within the UFC. He ought to have been within the UFC a very long time in the past, as a matter of reality. I need to see what his f*cking potential is. He’s acquired a reasonably brief window, perhaps the following 5 or 6 years goes to be his window and let’s see it. I need to see it.
“I don’t know what the PFL is doing. Possibly they only need to maintain him till they go bankrupt. You’re going to have him anyway. I don’t know what they’re doing. PFL, nothing actually sounds with what’s popping out of that group the previous yr or so. Not too thrilling.”
To be clear, Brown admits that the PFL’s long run success is definitely an excellent factor for the game as a result of it creates competitors and the UFC sorely wants that.
Sadly, the knockout king of the welterweight division simply doesn’t see PFL making the best strikes for long run sustainability, particularly whereas always battling with athletes similar to Pico who don’t need to combat there any longer.
“I’d prefer to see them do nicely. That’s what sucks,” Brown mentioned in regards to the PFL. “I’d prefer to see them do nicely. We’d like one other group to have some kind of competitors. I believe it could be an excellent factor. Competitors’s all the time wholesome however what are we going to have? F*cking GFL? It’s ridiculous.
“UFC’s simply going to continue to grow and maintain pulling away from all of the rivals. PFL must do all the best issues to have an opportunity. It’s important to make all the best strikes. You’ll be able to’t be making silly errors like this and take these [public relation] hits.”
In fact, Brown has his doubts that the PFL goes to stay round and truly problem the UFC in any substantive means.
Regardless of Davis beforehand calling the PFL the “co-leader” within the MMA world, Brown is aware of there’s an enormous mountain to climb to get anyplace near the UFC and no group has proven the power to get there but.
“We’ll see, there’s simply not a whole lot of choices on the market,” Brown mentioned. “PFL saying they’re [a co-leader] is the stupidest factor I’ve ever heard. We’ll see in the event that they even stick round for one more couple of years. There’s simply not a lot on the market proper now. Let Pico go and let’s transfer on … let him go. Fairly easy.”
