Aaron Pico Took Unranked Losene Keita Without a Second Thought

Aaron Pico had a top-10 featherweight lined up for UFC 333, then lost him almost as soon as the bout was agreed. Arnold Allen dropped out, Losene Keita was offered as the replacement, and the 30-year-old former Bellator fighter accepted right away.

Keita is a rising prospect who only recently picked up his first win in the UFC. Allen, by contrast, has spent years among the division's top ten.

Pico said the swap did not bother him. "I just roll with the punches," he said in an interview. "What am I ranked in the UFC? No. 12 or something like that? I'm not even sure. All I'm focused on is being a champion. That's what I'm focused on. So whoever I have to fight."

He contrasted his attitude with that of fighters who guard their position. "A lot of guys are like, 'I need to protect this, I need to fight a guy that's above me.' I have a different approach," Pico said. "If I'm not champion, then I just need to fight whoever. Even when you are champion, you're fighting the best guys in the world. It doesn't really matter to me. I'm focused on getting to the top. I'm taking this as a new challenge."

Thinking like a future champion

Pico's reasoning is that a titleholder never gets to choose easy nights, so there is little sense in handpicking opponents on the way up. "One day when I am champion, and they're like, 'you're fighting a guy with a lot of power in his hands.' OK, no problem," he said. "We know what our playbook is. We know what we need to do and we just need the reps. I need to make the walk as much as I possibly can to get to the top."

Allen may have the longer resume, but Pico did not talk down Keita's skills.

"Every fight is dangerous," he said. "I don't care if you're fighting a guy off the street that has no experience. There's always a puncher's chance. I take every fight serious. I've lost before, so I know how crucial any one bad decision in the cage can cost you. We just have to be ready for everybody, and this is just another challenge."

Whoever the opponent turned out to be, Pico wanted a place on this card because UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski headlines it, defending the title against Movsar Evloev. Volkanovski is a possible future opponent if he keeps the belt and keeps fighting, yet Pico spoke of him with open admiration.

"Honestly, it's just going to be awesome to fight a Volkanovski card," he said. "He's the best featherweight of all time. I don't know how many more fights he has left, but to be on a card with him is an honor. I'm ready to take on this challenge. Of course, if anything happens in the main event, I'll be there. I would love to fight for the title, but I'm just solely focused on this guy."

The respect runs through the family, too. "My dad and I talk about Volkanovski a lot because when we go into practice and things like that, we want to get to that level," Pico said. "He's a big fan of Volkanovski."

Source: MMA Fighting