Fighter who Dana White reportedly claimed the UFC is "definitely interested" in signing is officially a free agent now

There was a time when Aaron Pico was a shoo-in for a lucrative contract with Dana White and the UFC. The once-teenage prodigy was one of the most sought-after prospects in MMA, earning a multi-year deal with Nike even before signing his first pro fight.

Pico won the Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team Trials silver medal, twice medalled at the junior world championship, and won national and international titles on multiple occasions. On top of this, he is also a former national Junior Golden Gloves champion.

With his accolades in both wrestling and boxing, people were pegging Aaron Pico as the next Jon Jones. Alas, the American fighting prodigy didn't live up to the hype surrounding him as he lost his MMA debut at Bellator 180 in 2017. He proceeded to have a respectable stint in the now-defunct promotion, holding a 13-4 record so far.

Popular MMA journalist John Morgan reported on Pico's current contractual status with PFL, the company that absorbed Bellator:

"Aaron Pico is officially a free agent, I’m told by a person with knowledge of his contract status."

This is huge news as MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn also reported that Dana White has expressed interest in signing Pico back in January:

"Aaron Pico can now field all fight offers after news of his looming free agent status from PFL arose in December, his manager Ali Abdelaziz tells me. UFC CEO Dana White said in January that his team was 'definitely' interested in Pico when I asked about a potential signing."

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Dana White commented on possibly signing Aaron Pico to the UFC

About two weeks ago in a press conference for UFC 311, UFC president Dana White was asked about what he thought of the recently released fighters from the PFL. He was first asked about former two-division Bellator world champion Patricio Pitbull, who was released from his PFL contract after a seemingly acrimonious split with the company.

When told that Pitbull "badly" wants to be in the UFC after becoming a free agent, White said:

"I don't know. We'll talk to the boys [UFC matchmakers] about that and we'll see where we're at."

When asked about Aaron Pico, however, the UFC CEO had quite a positive tone, saying:

"I definitely know the boys are interested in him."

Pico, with his accolades and extensive experience in the sport, could bring a different kind of fire to the UFC lightweight and featherweight division. It would be interesting to see him clash with the likes of Paddy Pimblett, Brian Ortega, or Aljamain Sterling in his UFC debut.

Listen to Dana White talk about Pico here: