Bellator 286 Preview: Can Aaron Pico earn his title shot against Jeremy Kennedy?

Tomorrow night on the main card of Bellator 285, one of the more hyped prospects in MMA history looks to make himself the number one contender. Aaron Pico (10-3) looks to make his winning streak seven fights as he takes on the veteran Jeremy Kennedy (17-3).

Kennedy is going to look to play spoiler tomorrow night. He’s fought in the UFC, PFL, and now Bellator. Kennedy has been around and he’s fought some sensational competition including the best current pound for pound fighter in the world, Alexander Volkanovski.

So far in Bellator, Kennedy is 2-1 with the lone loss coming to Adam Borics. In his last fight, he was sensational in defeating Emmanuel Sanchez. However, tomorrow night is a much stiffer challenge.

Aaron Pico was thrown right into the deep end when he was just a teenager entering Bellator. That showed when he was just 4-3 after seven fights with three stoppage losses. However, then he made the switch to Jackson-Wink and changed his game plan and his career.

Since making that change, Pico has looked unstoppable. He doesn’t even look like the same fighter. Pico has gone 6-0 with only one fight going the distance. In that one fight, Pico was utterly dominant.

Bellator 285 Prediction

Jeremy Kennedy has a very good skillset. He’s got decent striking and he showed in the Emmanuel Sanchez fight that he has really solid grappling. There are many fighters who Kennedy can take down in control. Unfortunately for him, his opponent at Bellator 285 is not one of them.

What makes Pico so special is how elite his best skills are. His wrestling is unreal. His boxing along with his speed and power are largely unmatched in the promotion. The way Aaron Pico looks right now, only a select few might be able to compete with him.

Honestly, I don’t see Kennedy being one of those guys. I think we are in for another Aaron Pico showcase tomorrow. Don’t be shocked to see Pico take Kennedy down some in this one too. However, I see this one getting stopped from strikes. In the second round, Pico will land big and book his Bellator title shot.

Prediction: Aaron Pico by TKO – Round 2

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