Aaron Pico Builds Keita Game Plan in a Morocco Training Camp

Aaron Pico has prepared for UFC 333 in Morocco. In the first Embedded episode for the October 24 card in Abu Dhabi, released on October 19, the featherweight is shown in an extended training camp in Rabat, Morocco, getting ready for his meeting with Losene Keita.

Pico said the camp has given him confidence in a rounded approach. Rather than trying to match Keita's punching power, he plans to compete intelligently and use the full range of his skills. He spoke respectfully about Keita's standing in Europe, his championship experience outside the UFC and the danger of his right hand. He also talked about working with training partners who arrived from different parts of the world.

A coach who knows when to stop

Coach Roberto Barreiro described a different kind of responsibility. Pico always wants to add more work, he said, so his job is to watch for fatigue and tell him when a session should give way to recovery. The footage shows sparring, bag work and a session inside a cage, along with a quieter moment of Pico browsing paintings while shopping in the city.

Pico also addressed the change of opponent. He said such disruptions are something to absorb before the fight, describing the man across from him on fight night as simply a blank face.

Keita's side of the story

The episode also follows Keita back to the neighborhood where he grew up playing football and wrestling with friends, games he later recognized as early training. He linked that environment to getting into trouble and to his decision to start MMA, contrasted it with what he sees as Pico's more guided development, and said the people watching from home drive him. He closed by telling Pico that after his opponent has had his turn, it is now his own opportunity.

The bout came together in September, when the original pairing of Pico and Allen fell through because Allen did not have enough time to prepare while rehabilitating from earlier treatments.