It was real then — and it’s real now.
Former Bellator bruiser Aaron Pico, who recently signed with UFC after one fight under the PFL banner, will make his Octagon debut against No. 4-ranked featherweight contender Movsar Evloev as part of the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi event on July 26 on ABC.
“I’m not just training for a fight, I’m preparing for the moments that test everything I’ve worked for,” Pico wrote on social media. “My family, the supporters, this debut… it’s all fuel. Every breath between rounds, I remind myself, this is my time. I don’t train just to compete. I train to be a champion. Every rep, every round, it’s all part of the vision.”
The 28 year-old Pico (13-4) has won nine of his last 10 and finished seven opponents during that span. As for Evloev, 31, he improved his perfect record to 19-0 by outworking Aljamain Sterling as part of the UFC 310 pay-per-view (PPV) last December in Las Vegas.
UFC Abu Dhabi will be headlined by the middleweight showdown between former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker and red-hot division contender Reinier de Ridder. Elsewhere on the card, Shara Bullet takes aim at Marc-Andre Barriault.
For the current UFC Abu Dhabi fight card and ABC lineup click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
