Aaron Pico on who the UFC gives him next: 'I really don't give a sh*t'

The No. 11 featherweight wants to say he fought whoever they threw at him, but would love to avenge his knockout loss to Manchester's Lerone Murphy.

Aaron Pico says he does not care who the UFC puts in front of him next, and that Lerone Murphy "got very, very lucky" when he knocked him out.

"I always tell my family this, when I'm 60 years old in my rocking chair at my ranch, I want to be able to say I fought whoever they threw at me. I really don't give a sh*t," Pico told MMA Fighting. "Some guys are like 'I can't fight him because he's No. 10 or No. 12 and I'm No. 4.' I truly don't even look at that."

Pico is No. 11 in the UFC featherweight rankings and said his ideal opponent is "anybody ahead of me in the ranking". He named No. 4 Aljamain Sterling, who meets No. 9 Kevin Vallejos at UFC Qatar on 21 November, and said he could fight the winner "if everything goes smooth and no injuries with those guys".

His other choice is No. 3 Murphy, who beat him in his UFC debut. "Lerone Murphy, I'd love to fight him as well. I have no hard feelings against him other than he beat me, and I'd love to avenge that loss," Pico said. He has also told MMA Junkie: "I was beating him up."

Pico stopped Losene Keita at 1:14 of the first round at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi to move to 2-1 in the UFC, after Keita replaced Arnold Allen. At the post-fight press conference he said ranked fighters who protect their spots have a "weak mentality" and that he is embarrassed to be No. 11.

"If I fight a guy that's not ranked, it just is what it is," he told MMA Fighting. "I know if I have that mindset, the belt will come sooner than later."

READ NEXTAaron Pico wants Lerone Murphy rematch despite knockout: 'I was beating him up'Read the next story →

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