ABU DHABI — Featherweight Aaron Pico will face former Oktagon champion Losene Keita at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday after original opponent Arnold Allen withdrew, in a meeting of two stars who built their names elsewhere. Pico (14-5), best known for his Bellator MMA run, is now 1-1 under the UFC banner, while Keita steps in as a young knockout artist who is big in Europe.
"For me, Arnold Allen was in the top five, so when I'm looking at it from that perspective, of course I was a little bit bummed. That really puts you in a good position, if you win that fight, for a title," Pico admitted during this week's UFC 333 media day. He added that fans have been receptive to the change from a stylistic perspective, noting Keita's reputation as a knockout artist, and said: "It doesn't matter as far as where I stand. I just want to fight, I want to get more experience."
It might sound strange for Pico to be seeking experience 19 fights into his professional career, but his UFC debut ended when he was finished by a Lerone Murphy spinning backfist. Since then he has adopted a different approach, stating: "After my debut, I came with the mindset that I want to have a beginner mentality. I want to learn, I want to get as much experience as I can, and that's the way I'm approaching this fight. It's just another Fight Week for me, another walk into the cage, another fight, and this is all adding up to experience."
Pico said he needed to be humbled, not in terms of attitude but in how he was fighting. "I was fighting just too out of control," he admitted. "When I would go into a fight, the mindset was, I just want to get this thing over. I just want to go in there to do what I have to do, get the win and go home." Having worked with his coaches to "switch the mindset a little bit," he now wants to enjoy the contest: "Now I want to go in there, and I want to enjoy. I want to cook the fight a little," he said, adding he wants to add "a little salt, a little pepper. I don't want to just blast the heat and let it go. Just cook the fight, enjoy, use all your skills, and have fun."