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Aaron Pico welcomes how ’embarrassing’ KO in UFC debut helped him ahead of 327 return

Originally posted on HITC | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated Apr 10, 2026 12:14 PM ET

Aaron Pico is aiming to get his UFC career going after a rough start.

UFC 327 takes place this Saturday, with Miami hosting a card packed full of notable names ahead of Jiri Prochazka’s title fight against Carlos Ulberg.

Two former Bellator stars, Patricio Pitbull and Aaron Pico, are also looking to strengthen their positions in the featherweight division.

Pico’s situation is particularly urgent. The American really needs to bounce back from how his UFC debut went. He entered the promotion earlier this year after a strong run in Bellator that had fans expecting big things.

Pico thankful for ‘embarrassing’ UFC debut loss

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Pico was knocked out by Lerone Murphy at UFC 319 last August. After entering the Octagon for the very first time, the decorated wrestler was put out cold by a spinning back elbow in round one.

After taking time to process the loss, Pico returned to training and worked on the areas Murphy exposed. Looking back now, he believes it may have been what he needed.

“I’m not going to lie, after the last loss, I took it a little bit hard,” Pico said at UFC 327 media day. “I was really embarrassed and had some down days. It’s just part of the game, especially when you put a lot of work into it.

“I took it really, really hard. It was OK, though… It was very difficult, but I’m back now, so all good… It sounds weird because in a way I’m actually – I don’t like to say this – but I’m happy that it kind of happened.”

Pico will be hoping to avoid an 0-2 start in his UFC career. Another ex-Bellator standout Patchy Mix started with back-to-back losses and saw his signing cut short by two defeats.

Patricio Pitbull lost his debut against Yair Rodriguez but rebounded with a win over Dan Ige in June. Pico will look to find that same path this weekend as he faces another early test inside the promotion.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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