Aaron Pico gets honest about potential Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria fight, talks 'La Leyenda' chasing second title: "People really wanna see that"

By Sunil Krishnan

Modified Apr 19, 2025 04:17 GMT

Aaron Pico (middle) weighs in on Islam Makhachev (left) vs. Ilia Topuria (right) fight [Images courtesy: Getty Images] — Aaron Pico (middle) weighs in on Islam Makhachev (left) vs. Ilia Topuria (right) fight. [Images courtesy: Getty Images]

New UFC signing Aaron Pico recently weighed in on the potential fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria. The former Bellator fighter expressed his interest in watching both fighters go head-to-head for the lightweight championship belt.

Topuria defended his featherweight championship against Max Holloway at UFC 308 last, and earlier this year, announced that he is vacating his belt in pursuit of lightweight gold. However, Makhachev's camp demanded that the Georgian-Spanish must beat a top-ranked 155-pounder before getting a chance to fight for the title.

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On his recent appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Pico shared his take on the Makhachev vs. Topuria matchup:

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"I think it's good for the sport to be honest with you. I mean, him and Islam, people really wanna see that. Everybody has their own style. It seems like [Ilia Topuria's] style is just doing what he did. Honestly, I believe that Islam is a little too much for him. But, I'm also a fan so I would've loved to see that."

Check out Aaron Pico's comments below:

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After a successful stint in Bellator and a public fall-out with the PFL, Pico has officially signed with the UFC. He has revealed that he was offered a fight against No.4-ranked Movsar Evloev for his octagon debut, but the unbeaten Russian is seemingly targeting a title shot against current champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Ilia Topuria weighs in on potentially fighting Conor McGregor

Former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria recently shared his thoughts on a potential fight against Conor McGregor. Currently, 'La Leyenda' is keen on fighting Islam Makhachev for the belt, but is open to facing 'The Notorious'.

On his latest appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan asked the Georgian-Spanish fighter if he would make an exception to fight the Irishman, to which he responded:

"Actually, we had that talk [about fighting McGregor]. You know how the UFC is. They are very specific. If they offer me a fight against Conor right now, we'll see. Why not? I wouldn't say no. That will be a great one."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (1:06:06):

About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by C. Naik