Ex-UFC fighter Matt Brown is quite disappointed with how PFL is handling Aaron Pico’s contract.
Rising MMA star Aaron Pico has been in high demand and has caught the eyes of the UFC promotion but his current promotion, PFL, is yet to let the fighter out of his contract and is willing to match any offer given to him by any promotion. This option is stated in his contract but it seems the fighter wants to be cut loose to follow his dreams which is fighting under the UFC banner. PFL founder co-founder Donn Davis said [Pico agreed to the contract and sees no harm in abiding by it but UFC star Matt Brown believes this deal might not be working anymore for Pico.
“F*ck that,” Brown said about PFL refusing to let Pico go during the latest episode of The Fighter vs. the Writer. “He’s grown above the PFL and they should recognize that and know that and be cool [about it]. If they want to get more new stars coming up and sign those guys, they have to let him go. It’s going to be in the news, and the next guy’s going to be like ‘I’m not signing with PFL.’
“Everybody wants to get to the f*cking UFC and that’s all there is to it. You’re not going to be No. 2 or a close No. 2 or something. No. Everybody is No. 2. You’re all equally No. 2. You’re all below. So just accept it, and let the f*cking kid go.”
Despite wanting to fight, Pico may have to sit this one out for another year before he would be free of the promotion. The fighter has been out of the cage since 2024 and adding another year to this inactivity ,might not sit well with the fighter knowing how eager UFC is to sign a deal with him. UFC CEO Dana White says the guys over at UFC love Aaron Pico and are ready to receive him whenever his contract permits.
Brown on the other hand believes that although PFL may accomplish success with their longevity plans, he feels they shouldn’t hold back good fighters like Aaron Pico who would rather be in the cage than awaiting PFL’s next fight season.
“I don’t want to see Aaron Pico sit out a year,” Brown said. “I want to see him in the UFC. You want to see him in the UFC. He should have been in the UFC a long time ago, as a matter of fact. I want to see what his f*cking potential is. He’s got a pretty short window, maybe the next five or six years is going to be his window and let’s see it. I want to see it.
“I don’t know what the PFL is doing. Maybe they just want to hold him until they go bankrupt. You’re going to have him anyway. I don’t know what they’re doing. PFL, nothing really sounds with what’s coming out of that organization the past year or so. Not too exciting.”
“I’d like to see them do well. That’s what sucks,” Brown said about the PFL. “I’d like to see them do well. We need another organization to have some sort of competition. I think it would be a good thing. Competition’s always healthy but what are we going to have? F*cking GFL? It’s ridiculous.
“UFC’s just going to keep growing and keep pulling away from all the competitors. PFL needs to do all the right things to have a chance. You have to make all the right moves. You can’t be making stupid mistakes like this and take these [public relation] hits.”
For now, PFL is making a name for itself in the MMA world and is set for their 2025 world tournament. However, according to Brown,this worldwide fame by no means set them on the same pace as the UFC.
“We’ll see, there’s just not a lot of options out there,” Brown said. “PFL saying they’re [a co-leader] is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. We’ll see if they even stick around for another couple of years. There’s just not much out there right now. Let Pico go and let’s move on … let him go. Pretty simple.”
