Bellator MMA has booked one of their top prospects for his next fight. Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the promotion has booked a featherweight contest between top prospect Aaron Pico (6-3) and John de Jesus (13-8). The fight is scheduled to take place on November 12th.
For Pico, he’s going to try to win his third consecutive fight inside the Bellator cage. Pico was known as the biggest prospect arguably in MMA history prior to him signing with Bellator a few years ago. Everyone believed he was destined for greatness.
However, it’s been a very humbling road for Pico thus far. He’s still very young at just 24 years old, but Pico has suffered several setbacks during his Bellator career so far. He’s been stopped three times in devastating fashion.
However, in his six wins, Pico has looked like a world class fighter. In his last fight against Chris Hatley Jr, Pico really showed off his wrestling skills. In the past, he seemed really reliant on his great boxing, but that also led him to getting knocked out.
Is Bellator’s top prospect ready for the next step?
Pico has all of the makings to be a world champion. He’s a very good athlete, he’s got great boxing, and he has elite wrestling. However, he hasn’t always fought with the wisest strategy. You can chalk it up to being young, but Pico has been drawn into some fire fights.
The Henry Corrales fight is a great example. At Bellator 214, Pico hurt Corrales bad seconds into the fight. However, Pico got reckless and Corrales knocked him out cold. When Pico fights smart, he’s going to be very dangerous.
Veteran John de Jesus will present some interesting challenges for Pico. He’s not going to be an easy out and he’s riding a three fight winning streak heading into Bellator‘s November 12th event.
If Pico is able to put together a dominant and complete performance against de Jesus, you can make the argument that he’s ready for the next step. If he falls again, you will have to wonder what’s next in terms of his career inside the Bellator cage.