Aaron Pico Details UFC 333 Changes

Aaron Pico will face Losene Keita at UFC 333, but the matchup came after a changing run of possible opponents. Pico said he had expected to meet Aljamain Sterling, the former UFC bantamweight champion, before that option failed to come together. He was later told Arnold Allen would be his opponent, only for Allen to be unable to recover from injuries in time for the bout. Pico is not presenting those developments as a reason to wait. His stated priority is to keep competing, collect experience and continue working toward becoming a champion.

The route to Keita matters because Pico had been looking at two other top-ranked featherweight names before accepting his current assignment. Speaking on MMA Junkie Radio, he described the past few months as crazy and explained that Sterling was the fight he believed he would receive first. When that did not happen, Pico said the Allen matchup was offered instead. Allen held the No. 5 spot, a detail Pico said made him excited about the opportunity because it represented a move closer to the top of the rankings. That fight also disappeared when Allen could not recover from injuries in time. Pico is now scheduled to meet Keita on the UFC 333 card. Keita is widely regarded as a dangerous opponent, and the bout carries rankings implications for Pico. Still, Pico’s comments indicate that maintaining a position in the rankings is not driving his choices. He described a willingness to face the opponent he is offered rather than remain inactive while waiting for a particular name.

How Pico arrived at the Keita matchup

Pico’s explanation separates the two missed opportunities from the fight now on his schedule. He said Sterling was the opponent he thought he was going to get, but the matchup did not go through. The next plan involved Allen, and Pico welcomed it in part because Allen was ranked No. 5. The circumstances changed again when Allen was unable to recover from his injuries in time for the contest. Keita subsequently became Pico’s scheduled opponent for UFC 333. The sequence does not establish either of the earlier fights as completed bouts; it reflects the opponents Pico said were presented to him before the Keita booking. It also gives context to why he is taking a matchup described as risky for his featherweight ranking. Pico did not say he was holding out for Sterling, Allen or another ranked fighter. Instead, he framed his approach around fighting when an opportunity is available. For readers following the booking, the key distinction is between the opponents Pico expected at different points and the opponent he is actually scheduled to face. Keita is the current assignment, while the Sterling and Allen situations explain why Pico’s path to UFC 333 changed more than once.

Pico addressed rankings directly while discussing why he was prepared to fight Allen and why he is not consumed by his own position. He questioned whether he was ranked No. 12 or No. 13, then said he did not know. That uncertainty was not offered as a claim about his exact placement. Rather, it supported his broader point that a ranking is not his main concern unless he is champion. Pico said he is not interested in protecting a ranking by avoiding fights or demanding a specific opponent. He also said sitting around for a ranked opponent is not part of his plan. His preferred route is to fight, gain experience, improve and ultimately become a champion. In practical terms, Pico said he accepts the fighter put in front of him. That stated philosophy helps explain his decision to move on to Keita after Sterling did not materialize and Allen became unavailable. Pico’s path to the Keita bout explains why he keeps stressing activity:

His UFC results before Oct. 24

Pico enters his Oct. 24 meeting with Keita carrying a 1-1 record under the UFC banner. His first UFC appearance ended in a knockout loss to Lerrone Murphy. He responded in his next outing with a unanimous decision victory over Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Those results help explain his emphasis on experience and staying active. The Keita fight is scheduled for October 24, so its outcome remains unknown. Pico has already dealt with two changes to his expected opposition and chose to keep a fight on the calendar rather than wait for either Sterling or Allen. His comments place improvement ahead of a strategy centered on preserving a ranking. For Pico, the current Keita booking represents another chance to compete after a stretch in which the expected names changed.

• Pico said Aljamain Sterling was the opponent he initially expected, but that fight did not go through.
• Arnold Allen was then presented as the opponent, but he could not recover from injuries in time for the bout.
• Pico is now scheduled to meet Losene Keita at UFC 333 and says he wants to keep fighting rather than wait for a specific name.

Pico’s UFC 333 fight with Losene Keita follows an expected Sterling matchup that did not go through and an Arnold Allen booking that was affected by Allen’s recovery from injuries. Although Allen’s No. 5 ranking appealed to Pico, he said he is not focused on guarding his own ranking or waiting for a preferred opponent. With Keita scheduled for Oct. 24, Pico’s explanation centers on fighting, building experience and pursuing his championship goal.