UFC fans have been baffled by the news that Movsar Evloev and Aaron Pico’s meeting next month will take place at the Apex.
Red Corner MMA has today reported that number-four-ranked featherweight Evloev will take on former Bellator and PFL contender Pico on May 17. However, instead of taking place at a major pay-per-view or a big arena fight night, it is happening in front of a tiny crowd in Las Vegas.
The event is quite stacked by Apex standards, with a heavyweight clash between Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kuniev near the top of the card. There is also a light-heavyweight showdown between Paul Craig and Rodolfo Bellato.
Movsar Evloev vs Aaron Pico to take place at UFC Vegas 106
According to a report from Red Corner MMA this afternoon, Movsar Evloev will put his top five UFC ranking on the line against the newly-debuting Aaron Pico next month. The pair will compete on May 17 at the Apex in front of a small crowd in a featherweight clash.
Pico has spent the entirety of his MMA career in Bellator, even taking a fight under the PFL banner last year when the promotion was bought out. However, he couldn’t come to terms on a new deal for his next fight and as such had to move on.
After a rocky start to his career for Bellator, Pico has turned things around and was on a three-fight winning streak before leaving the promotion. Meanwhile, Evloev is still undefeated and just beat former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310.
Fans react to Evloev vs Pico booking
There are a number of issues emerging with fans on social media upon learning of this booking. First of all, the venue choice is bizarre for a top contender such as Evloev who is believed to be next in line for the winner of the UFC 314 main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.
“Why the f— is this at the Apex?” Asked a number of fans who were confused by the matchmaking. There was also concern that Pico may be biting off more than he can chew by taking on somebody so highly-ranked in his first fight.
“Wow, they are throwing him right into the fire,” one fan said of Pico. “He could get a title shot off of this fight.” Another added: “Man talk about getting thrown into the deep end of the division holy moly.”
