Aaron Pico believes a rematch against Lerone Murphy would play out far differently.
Back in Aug. 2025, Pico made his UFC debut against Murphy in a pivotal featherweight matchup. Pico had a ton of hype surrounding him, but he was immediately thrown in against a top contender. The end result was a spectacular spinning back elbow knockout win for Murphy.
It was the fourth time Pico had suffered a knockout or TKO loss, but he was able to rebound eight months later with a unanimous decision win over Patricio “Pitbull” Freire at UFC 327. Serving as a guest on “Submission Radio,” Pico was asked how a rematch with Murphy would go. The former Bellator star believes he’d take over if given another opportunity.
“I definitely think I can win,” Pico said. “I would be a lot smarter, but this is MMA. Anything can happen, but I definitely feel I’d dominate him. I watched some clips of him and Movsar, and Movsar had a tough time taking him down and stuff like that. When I go back and watch my fight with Murphy, it’s wasn’t like I was getting outclassed and out struck. I would’ve just slowed it down, but it is what it is. When that time comes, I’ll be ready.”
Despite his past setbacks, Pico still has his share of believers. In a post-UFC 327 reaction video, Daniel Cormier said that Pico could give current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski problems if he stays focused. Pico’s skillset has never been in question, but some wonder if he can avoid those moments of disaster long enough to eventually become a UFC champion.
Do you think Aaron Pico could defeat Lerone Murphy in a rematch? Would it be a different fight or more of the same? Sound off in the comments with your opinion below.