PFL, aka the Professional Fighters League, just handed another gem to the UFC—the 13-4 Lightweight star Aaron Pico. “After years of hard work, dedication, and unwavering belief, I’ve officially signed with the UFC,” Pico declared in a post on his Instagram. Fighting in the UFC is indeed the ultimate goal of any mixed martial artist, and Pico is no different. And the Olympic gold medalist-turned-MMA fighter, who competes at featherweight, has already dropped the names of marquee fighters in the division.

Aaron Pico confidently expressed wanting to face Movsar Evloev as his first opponent. But that matchup didn’t pan out because, according to Red Fury MMA, Evloev’s management wants to wait for the winner of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes. But not one to fret, Pico dropped some other names in the division if the Dagestani featherweight wasn’t available.

Here’s what Pico said to MMA Junkie about his UFC debut, “I’m looking at it like this: I was supposed to fight Movsar [Evloev]. Who is he supposed to fight, and who has he fought last? He fought Aljamain [Sterling] last. Let’s fight Aljamain. I believe he was supposed to fight Brian Ortega, don’t quote me on that. If Brian Ortega’s ready to go, then let’s fight. That’s how you make money.”

“It was real, I got a phone call from Ali (Abdelaziz) asking if I could fight on April 17, I said, ‘Of course, who am I fighting?’ and he said, ‘Movsar.’” Pico told MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn. The California native claimed that his opponent had also agreed, and he was elated that UFC was listening to him and his choices of opponent. However, since the Russians’ team lambasted the rumors, and there has not been any official announcement by UFC, who will Pico fight for his UFC debut??

Who are Aaron Pico’s possible opponents for his debut fight in UFC?

Pico arrived in UFC with full force and confidently called out the top 5 in the division. While speaking to TMZ Sports, he said, “I want everybody, like anybody in the top five, Aljamain [Sterling], Brian Ortega, Movsar [Evloev], anybody, Diego Lopes, [Alex] Volkanovski. I’ll fight. You know me. You’ve seen my career. I’ve never dodged a fight.” Since Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes are fighting for the belt, this duo might be out of the question right now. Evolev is also not in the equation since his team slammed the fight rumors.

So this leaves Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling as options for his debut fight. Both fighters provide unique challenges and could very well test the efficacy of Pico at the highest levels of the division if that’s what he wants. Nevertheless, as per his interview with MMA Junkie, Pico seems to be open to any fighter from featherweight in UFC. He said in the interview, “I don’t really care who I fight. It can be a guy in the top 10. It can be a guy not ranked. It doesn’t matter. As long as I’m in the UFC, whatever I have to do, I wanna fight everybody. I mean, that’s what I do for a living.”

Pico started his journey in 2017 in the world of MMA. At Bellator FC, he amassed a total of 13 victories and 4 losses. He has 9 wins by KO with a current three-fight winning streak. We can definitely expect explosive fights from the Cali native. What do you think about this new addition to UFC? Share your thoughts in the comments below.