Aaron Pico Sets Sights on Lerone Murphy to Settle Old Score - "I Know I Can Beat Him"

Aaron Pico is coming off a first-round knockout win over Losene Keita at UFC 333. Earlier this year, at UFC 327, he also secured a decision victory over Patricio Pitbull.

However, before that, the American fighter's UFC debut was spoiled by Lerone Murphy. At UFC 319 last year, Pico stepped into the octagon for the first time and locked horns with the then-undefeated Murphy.

The 30-year-old was eager to engage in a firefight from the opening round, but that approach proved costly as "The Miracle" sent him to the shadow realm with a spectacular spinning backfist knockout.

Check out the finish below:

Aaron Pico Eager for Rematch with Lerone Murphy

Following the brutal KO loss, Pico took time away to recover and regroup before returning to build a two-fight winning streak. Now, Pico wants to run it back with the Brit and claims he can beat him in a rematch with a smarter approach. He told Mike Bohn:

"I want that fight. People are gonna ask me, 'Why do you want that fight?' I'm a competitor. I want to fight and get that one back. I mean, obviously, you watch the fight; I was beating him up. If I had just been a little bit smarter, I would have gotten that win. But there are a lot of lessons that came because of the loss. And that's the reason why I want to run it back. And why wouldn't I? He's top 5 in the world, so it just puts me closer to fighting for a title, and I know I can beat him. So yeah, I would love to fight him for sure.

Check out Aaron Pico's comments about Lerone Murphy below:

Lerone Murphy Doesn't have  Fight Booked, Wants to Return for No. 1 Contender Bout

Murphy, on the other hand, lost his undefeated record to Movsar Evloev earlier this year at UFC London in a No. 1 contender bout that would have earned him a title shot. He also suffered a torn hip flexor muscle in the fourth round of the matchup, putting him on the sidelines.

Murphy, however, now feels fully recovered and has expressed interest in returning for another No. 1 contender fight. Current and two-time UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will most likely be moving up to lightweight and vacating his title. When that happens, the division could soon see two top contenders face off for the vacant belt, and "The Miracle" would love to be one of them but feels there's work to be done before that. He recently posted on X:

"Who’s next for the featherweight title? I still think all contenders need 1 more fight. I was told I need to beat someone in the top 5 before I do, that should apply to all. 💪🏾"

Check out Lerone Murphy's comments below:

Aaron Pico Also has Another Name In Mind

Pico has also expressed interest in fighting Movsar Evloev. The two were originally scheduled to face each other in 2025, but the matchup fell through after Evloev suffered an injury.

During a recent interview, Pico, while targeting Evloev, said that while he's interested in fighting the former 145-pound title challenger, it is very unlikely Evloev will be available anytime soon after his latest TKO loss at UFC 333 to Alexander Volkanovski.