Aaron Pico wanted to continue fighting at Bellator 286, but admitted it was probably for the best that he didn’t.
Pico dislocated his shoulder in the first round of his fight against Jeremy Kennedy this past Saturday. When he could not fix it, the featherweight asked one of his coaches to do so, which resulted in him having his arm pulled and pushed around. Pico started moving his arm, trying to convince the doctor he could continue, but his minimal movement was a dead giveaway that he could not fight anymore.
Once the fight was waved off and Kennedy was declared the winner by first-round TKO, Pico was transported to a local hospital to address his arm injury. Upon his release, he provided an update on his condition and gave his version of events that night.
“My shoulder is still a little sore,” said Pico. “Yesterday in the first round, I think it was the first 30 seconds, I threw a hook and my shoulder popped out. My strategy was to just try to make it through the first round to get to the second round and put my shoulder back into place, and I tried in the fight. Midway through the fight, I kept trying to put it back into place, but it just wouldn’t go.
“So I made it out of the first round, and my order to my coach was — keep in mind, guys, he’s not an expert, he’s not a chiropractor, he doesn’t know how put shoulders back into place. But my orders to him were, ‘Hey, my shoulder’s out, do whatever you possibly can to put it back into place.’ We tried everything and we couldn’t do it. And ultimately, the fight was stopped, which was probably the smartest thing. I was rushed to the hospital and put it back into place. I still feel some things that we need to clear up, but I’m gonna see a shoulder doctor on Tuesday and get some MRIs done and heal this thing.”
Depending on the extent of the injury, Pico could find himself on the sidelines for quite some time. That said, the 26-year-old has not wavered from his ultimate goal and vowed to become a champion eventually.
“I will be champion one day,” said Pico. “The road is a little bit rougher than I would like, but it’s all good. I’m in good spirits.
Pico was on a six-fight win streak before the loss to Kennedy. There is a chance an immediate rematch happens, as Bellator president Scott Coker expressed interest in it in the future.
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