Overview
- Pico defeated Freire by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) on Saturday at UFC 327 in Miami, closing the preliminary card.
- He surged after a close first round, using faster boxing and timely takedowns to bloody Freire and control the final two frames.
- The result is Pico’s first UFC victory after a debut knockout loss to Lerone Murphy, and he said he wants ranked opponents and a Murphy rematch next.
- Pico credited a refocused camp that included rounds with middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and work in Morocco with his coaches for a calm, stick-and-move approach.
- Freire, a decorated former Bellator champion, dropped to 1-2 in the UFC in a long-discussed Bellator-era matchup now realized under the UFC banner after Bellator’s sale to PFL.