Aaron Pico backs it up at Bellator 183
When Bellator holds their events in San Jose, they usually put on some events that could only be classified as “hot fire”. Bellator 183 was no exception and with the some of their best fighting on the main card, a lot had to be done to stand out. Aaron Pico did just that in his second outing with Bellator and earned his first victory over Justin Linn.
Pico was hyped a lot and people were interested with his wrestling background and overall competition resume. Even when he lost last June, he handled it like a professional. Three months later at 145 pounds, the featherweight fought a very patient fight against another seasoned opponent. During the start of the bout it was obvious Pico was not going to rush into anything which showed he’ll be a quick study in MMA. A left hook would score Pico one of the highlight reel knock outs of the event and put other featherweights on notice.
“The key to this fight was just relaxing because I knew that as long as I was relaxed in there, my skillset was going to show.” -Aaron Pico
Submission fans got a treat during the Spike broadcast with Goiti Yamauchi’s win over Adam Piccolotti who transitioned from submission to submission attempt eventually securing a choke in the first round. He believes he should be next in line for a title shot.
Another Highlight reel knockout is Paul Daley’s win over Lorenz Larkin. Daley finished Larkin in round two with a barrage of punches that sent him to the canvas, and the referee stepped in to keep the former UFC contender from taking any more damage.
Speaking of former UFC contenders, Bellator 183 was the debut fight for Roy Nelson who had no easy opponent in front of him with Javy Ayala. Knockouts were expected but never came and even though Nelson pulled off the win, credit should go to Ayala for scrambling out of submission attempts when it seemed he had no energy to do so. It was a truly great fight.
See the complete Bellator 183 results below:
Results Bellator 183
Patricky Freire def. Benson Henderson via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)
Paul Daley def. Lorenz Larkin via KO (punches) at 2:40 of R2
Roy Nelson def. Javy Ayala via unanimous decision
Aaron Pico def. Justin Linn via KO (punch) at 3:45 of R1
Goiti Yamauchi def. Adam Piccolotti via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:19 of R1
Tony Johnson def. Mike Ortega via KO (punch) at 1:49 of R2
Kaytlin Neil def. Brooke Mayo via unanimous decision
Brandon Laroco def. Gaston Bolanos via technical submission (triangle) at 2:16 of R2
Corina Herrera vs. Jaymee Nievara via unanimous decision
Fernando Gonzalez def. Alex Lopez via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)
Ricardo Vasquez def. Justin Tenedora via submission (guillotine) at 2:39 of R1
J.J. Okanovich def. Luis Jauregui via submission (armbar) at :42 of R1
Daniel Gonzalez def. Anthony Castrejon via KO at 4:03 of R1
Originally published at www.frontproofmedia.com.
