The coach of consensus GOAT Jon Jones has high praise for an additional of his fighters who will arrive on MMA’s biggest stage at UFC 319.
After wrapping up a two-week stint on the Apex with Anthony Hernandez’s dominant win over Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 109 on Saturday, the Octagon is heading to Chicago for the promotion’s latest pay-per-view.
UFC 319 can be topped by Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev’s title clash, but there are also a lot of intriguing and vital matchups scheduled for the undercard.
Notably setting the stage for the middleweight championship major event can be a key co-headliner at 145 kilos between Lerone Murphy and Aaron Pico. The latter is debuting within the UFC after making his name as a Bellator standout.
Pico is very regarded by many, none more so by his and Jones’ trainer…
Jon Jones’ coach calls Aaron Pico the ‘most disciplined athlete’ he’s ever worked with
After Pico’s planned debut against Movsar Evloev fell off the Abu Dhabi card in July, the UFC wasted little time in rebooking the American featherweight for the August 16 numbered event within the ‘Windy City’.
He’ll face a tricky test in his first project, as Pico comes up against a puzzle no person has yet worked out within the undefeated Murphy. However the ex-Bellator contender’s team is confident of their man, who has been called one in every of a sort in a single specific area by coach Brandon Gibson while talking to Mike Owens for Inside Fighting.
“Probably probably the most disciplined athlete I’ve ever trained,” said Gibson, who has coached the likes of Jones, Carlos Condit, John Dodson, Cub Swanson, Tim Kennedy, and Alistair Overeem
“You understand, I’ve trained a number of UFC Hall of Famers, in order that’s — it’s not a small statement.
“He’s just a formidable young man,” Gibson continued. “His ability to remain focused for these durations, stay focused on his goal, it’s really impressive.
“He’s a well-rounded striker, amazing wrestler, amazing grappler, and we’ve just continued to shine all of those areas.”
Aaron Pico tipped to turn out to be UFC champion if he beats Lerone Murphy
Despite calls for Evloev to get the following shot and a possible title eliminator between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho coming up in Paris, one former two-division UFC champion is looking elsewhere for Alexander Volkanovski’s next challenger.
Henry Cejudo believes that the winner of UFC 319’s co-main event should receive a chance. And greater than that, Cejudo is tipping either Pico or Murphy to unseat Volkanovski down the road.
“The winner of this fight is gonna fight Alexander Volkanovski, and I also feel the winner of this fight is gonna turn out to be our next champion,” Cejudo said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast alongside Kamaru Usman.
“All due respect to Volk, but dude, these young guns. Lerone Murphy is fighting Aaron Pico. Aaron Pico is in his f—- prime, bro. Power, wrestling; he has been a manchild since he was a child, already competing at the best levels while in highschool, beating world champions.
“After which Lerone Murphy, what he has been in a position to do to a number of these fighters, man,” Cejudo continued. “Undefeated, very tricky, brings in a number of the wrestling; he’s different, he’s like Merab (Dvalishvili).”