Aaron Pico isn’t exactly hunting for tomato cans.
Pico is set to make his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut inside Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 24. He’ll take on Zach Freeman, who has a record of 8-2. The bout will take place live on pay-per-view in the main card opener of Bellator NYC.
While Pico is an accomplished wrestler, MMA is a different world. The 20-year-old recognizes that, but he has been driven by competition for years. He told Ariel Helwani on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” that he didn’t get into MMA to take a free ride:
“I wanted this competition. I train every day to be the best in the world. I told everybody around me, ‘I don’t want to go out there and fight a guy 1-2, 1-0.’ I want to go challenge myself. I know what my abilities are. I always knew MMA was in mind. I know I haven’t had a professional fight yet, but I’ve been groomed and ready to fight. I don’t feel comfortable fighting a guy that’s 1-2. … I know he can’t take me down. I know he can’t stand on his feet with me. I know he can’t grapple with me. So, I feel good.”
