May 12, 2018; San Jose, CA, USA; Aaron Pico (red gloves) defeats Lee Morrison (blue gloves) during Bellator 199 at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Dave Mandel-USA TODAY Sports

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Aaron Pico Fires Back As Rivalry With Alexander Volkanovski Intensifies

May 12, 2018; San Jose, CA, USA; Aaron Pico (red gloves) defeats Lee Morrison (blue gloves) during Bellator 199 at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Dave Mandel-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Pico has built his reputation on confidence and an aggressive fighting style that earned him plenty of fans. His journey through MMA has been filled with ups and downs, including some early career setbacks that taught him valuable lessons about the sport. Now at 28 years old, Pico finally gets his shot in the UFC’s featherweight division, and he’s not wasting any time making bold statements.

The timing couldn’t be better for Pico to make waves in the promotion’s most stacked division as he awaits UFC 319 fight against Lerone Murphy. Alexander Volkanovski currently sits at the top of the featherweight mountain. The Australian champion has faced wrestlers, strikers, and every type of fighter the division could throw at him. However, Pico believes he represents something different that Volkanovski hasn’t encountered before. This confidence has sparked a war of words between the two fighters that’s getting more heated by the day.

Alexander Volkanovski Takes A Jab At Aaron Pico

The verbal sparring started when Pico made it clear he wanted to fight Volkanovski for the title. He didn’t just ask nicely or wait his turn like most newcomers do. Instead, Pico went straight for the jugular and claimed he would be the one to dethrone the champion. Volkanovski didn’t take kindly to these comments and decided to fire back during an interview with FOX Sports Australia. The champion basically said he would embarrass Pico in every aspect of fighting, especially wrestling.

“It excites me because I reckon I’d crumble him in the wrestling department. He might be good for one takedown, two takedowns, if he even gets me down, I’m straight back up. Watch him not want to clinch up anymore after that. His best bet is to obviously try and land a big shot. Other than that, I mop the floor with him.”

Alexander Volkanovski warns a confident Aaron Pico about what would happen if they fought 🍿 #UFC319 pic.twitter.com/ywSKQOASXY
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 13, 2025

Volkanovski’s response was pretty brutal and showed he doesn’t respect Pico’s wrestling credentials much. He claimed that even though Pico was an All-American wrestler, he would still dominate him on the ground. The champion even suggested that Pico’s only real chance would be landing a lucky punch. These fighting words obviously didn’t sit well with the challenger, who wasted no time responding at the UFC 319 media day sessions.

Aaron Pico Promises Alexander Volkanovski His Time Is Coming

Aaron Pico’s response showed he’s not intimidated by the champion’s reputation or accomplishments. He acknowledged that having Volkanovski’s attention was actually a good thing for his career trajectory. However, Pico made it clear that he believes the champion hasn’t faced a wrestler of his caliber before. He specifically pointed out that Volkanovski’s past opponents might have been good wrestlers, but none were on his level. The challenger also made a prediction that should worry Volkanovski supporters. Pico confidently stated that he would land either a left hook or right hand that would put the champion to sleep.

“Well, it would be five rounds, so I think I’m going to land a left hook or a right hand, so I can put him out. But, I’m new guy in this organization, and I’m just gonna be upfront…But I have to take care of Lerone Murphy. That’s all I’m focused on… Your time is coming.”

He emphasized that a five round fight gives him plenty of opportunities to find that knockout shot. First, though, Pico has to handle business against Lerone Murphy at UFC 319. If he can get past Murphy in impressive fashion, this rivalry with Volkanovski could become one of the hottest storylines in the featherweight division!

(Image Credit: David Mandel – Imagn Images)

Aaron Pico

Alexander Volkanovksi

UFC 319

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!