Former Bellator and PFL fighter Aaron Pico lived up to the hype on his debut. The 28-year-old showcased amazing skills at the beginning of the fight against undefeated Lerone Murphy at UFC 319. However, things came crashing down for Pico after three minutes of the first round. ‘The Miracle’ caught him on the temple with a nasty spinning back elbow, leaving Joe Rogan not only stunned, but concerned.
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Lerone Murphy admitted that no one has taken the fight to him during the initial few minutes of the opening round like Aaron Pico did at UFC 319. However, he mentioned the former PFL star’s tendency to be aggressive with his approach, and he wanted to use it to his advantage. And guess what? That’s exactly what the featherweight title contender did as he ended up elbowing Pico unconscious. The doctors rushed into the Octagon to help the KO’d fighter.
As soon as Aaron Pico ate the spinning elbow, he fell straight to the mat and remained in a state of shock and unconsciousness for well over a couple of minutes. With doctors checking in on the fighter, Joe Rogan, who was seated at the commentary desk, was in absolute shock. “Oh my goodness,” the 58-year-old said. “He’s still out cold.”
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Make that TWO spinning elbows at #UFC319🤯
Lerone Murphy just knocked out Aaron Pico!! pic.twitter.com/Yx1Oabw6Bh
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) August 17, 2025
Well, up until the elbow strike, everything was looking good for Aaron Pico, but he couldn’t hack it on his UFC debut. But for Lerone Murphy, things are looking good because he not only received an instant $50,000 from Dana White for his KO win, but also got a shout-out from the champion, Alexander Volkamovski.
Aaron Pico’s opponent is inching closer to a title shot
A win on his debut would have certainly placed Aaron Pico in title contention, but Lerone Murphy has now found himself in that spot. One of the most underrated fighters, ‘The Miracle’ needed this spectacular win to gain attention as he made it 9 wins in a row in the UFC. Murphy would later mention during the post-fighter interview that he now wants to fight for the title.
“I took the fight on three weeks’ notice… I knew the opportunity was there. I’m next in line. Let’s go, Volkanovski,” said Lerone Murphy. Well, the champion, who never backs down from a challenge, issued a response on social media, agreeing to a fight at the end of this year. “See you in December [Lerone Murphy]. Congrats,” Alexander Volkanovski wrote on X.
Well, it’s happy times for Lerone Murphy, but for Aaron Pico, he’ll have to go back to the drawing board. It will be interesting to see how Dana White navigates the former PFL star’s UFC run. But what’s important is Pico’s well-being. We’ll have to wait for further medical updates on the featherweight fighter, but in the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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Edited by
Gokul Pillai