American fighter Aaron Pico is ready to slice his Bellator MMA opponent's face wide open if he dares to clinch

• American fighter Aaron Pico returns to the Bellator MMA cage Friday on Showtime.
• Ahead of his fight, Pico spoke to Insider about his game, happiness, life, his focus, and more.

American fighter Aaron Pico is ready to slice his Bellator MMA opponent's face wide open if he even dares to clinch him Friday at the Bellator 271 in Hollywood, Florida.

"Justin Gonzales will make the fight dirty and get in the clinch," Pico told Insider this week.

"But little does he know my slice elbows are crazy. If he gets in a clinch with me, he's leaving with a cut, or something sliced on his face."

Pico is one of the most interesting combatants Bellator has in its growing roster. He is home-grown, an athlete Bellator boss Scott Coker has invested in for years, and one who has had to overcome numerous hurdles in his career.

With an impressive background in both boxing and wrestling, there was a time the 25-year-old was considered one of the very best prospects mixed martial arts could offer - someone destined for the top of the game.

But Pico suffered a shock loss in his pro debut when he was submitted by Zach Freeman's guillotine choke in 2017.

Two years later, he was beaten in back-to-back fights by Henry Corrales and Adam Borics to see his record fall to four wins against three losses.

Since then, he's been on a tear - rejuvenating his career with four finishes from four fights.

"Everything's going according to plan," he told us. "With a four-fight winning streak, I'm in a good spot. I have more things to work on but I've come a long way and I'm excited about the future."

Pico has scored some thunderous knockouts in his time - in 2020 he finished John de Jesus with an awesome power punch before trash-talking over his opponent's body.

In his most recent win over Aiden Lee, five months ago, Pico displayed excellent wrestling skills, submitting Lee with an anaconda choke.

That well-rounded skillset is something that Pico takes pride in as he continues to evolve as a fighter.

"I've got good wrestling, grappling, and striking. I take a lot of pride in my grappling development and feel I've done a really good job of putting time in, in jiu jitsu, and think my submissions have gotten a lot better.

"If I can take a guy down and submit them, go home, that's ideal for me," he said.

Pico added that a knockout punch feels good, but there is something extra special when you make a man tap, or send him to sleep.

Someone knocked out could claim it was a lucky punch, according to Pico, but there is nothing unlucky about being caught in a submission.

You're there because you deserved to be.

"I love knockouts," said Pico. "But submitting a human being is actually a really good feeling because they can't say, 'Hey, I got caught with a punch.'

"When you submit a guy, you make them tap, and they're saying, 'I'm done.' You can't say you got caught. I really enjoy it.

"And it takes away the risk. With trying to land the knockout punches, there's a lot of risk that goes into it," as you leave yourself open to counters, Pico said.

Another one-time prospect, A.J. McKee, is now the face of Bellator MMA, but Pico is not jealous of his position

At the same time Pico was developing hype as a future star, so too was A.J. McKee - another homegrown fighter in Bellator's stable of athletes under contract.

But while Pico suffered setbacks, McKee continued to soar.

He entered the Bellator featherweight grand prix, fought his way to the final, and then destroyed the long-reigning Bellator GOAT Patricio Freire in a final that earned him a $1 million winner's check.

Pico insists there's no ill will toward McKee, a fighter he has sparred multiple times in the past.

"There's no jealousy at all," said Pico.

"Everybody's journey is just a little bit different and that's what I'm really focused on. My journey's different to A.J.'s, to Kamaru's, to GSP's - everybody has their own story. That's just the way my story is written.

"Would I love to be undefeated? If I'm completely honest, yes. I don't want anybody to know they've beaten me. It's a fucked up feeling, to be honest. But I can't have a bag of rocks weighing down on me all the time."

Pico told us he's happy with how his career is unfolding because, if it weren't for his losses, he wouldn't have the team he does now, with a new manager in Ali Abdelaziz, and coaches. He has moved his entire life to Albuquerque in New Mexico.

There, he learns from the combat brains inside the famed Jackson-Wink MMA fight club. Pico has Greg Jackson in his corner - the trainer who has coached Jon Jones, Holly Holm, and Rashad Evans.

What's more, he says, he has a life outside of MMA.

"I have a beautiful place in Albuquerque with horses, and I've met a lot of good people in Albuquerque outside the gym - people I consider family.

"I started my family and so those losses might have meant I wouldn't have ended up there. I would not change it for the world. There's nothing I would change. Nothing.

"There's no reason to be jealous of A.J. I live a good life. I love my wife, my kid, and horses. I love to work cattle on the weekend. I have a good life. I think when you become jealous, you're life starts to … it's not a good thing to have."

McKee said things are slightly different when he looks at McKee as a fighter, rather than the trappings that have come with his brilliance of late.

"He's so damn good at fighting!"

Pico has sparred McKee multiple times over the years, working together on their grappling, and said he's "very good and a problem for anybody" in the world.

"The decisions he makes inside the cage are 100% perfect, to be honest with you. Wow, how does he do it? I can say that. He's a guy who just makes the right decisions, and a very good fighter."

Pico is hellbent on his own path, which includes cutting Justin Gonzales open

Closing the gap between where he is right now, ranked No.6 in Bellator's featherweight rankings, and where McKee is, as the superstar champion and the No.1 fighter in the entire company, is something Pico is not thinking about, he said.

Insider has spoken to Pico multiple times through the years, from his status as a novice fighter, to the ranked contender he is today, and rarely has he seemed as focused as he was during this conversation.

When he said he has no answer about how far he is from the Freire's and the McKee's of the division, it is easy to believe him.

"I'm just focused on Justin Gonzales," he said.

"That's my one job. I'm not focused on the title, or the top five guys. I'm focused on just one man - Justin Gonzales. I'm staying in the present and what I can control, because I cannot control the future."

Pico said he does not see "anything too special" in Gonzales' game after studying tape of him. "But that doesn't take away the fact that he's dangerous. In this game, everybody's dangerous.

"I understand there's a lot of risk. But if I'm looking at his skillset, there's nothing that's standing out as, 'Wow.' He's good everywhere, a strong guy, but I think I'm better. So we go prove it Friday night.

"He's a very gritty fighter who looks to beat guys up in the clinch. I think I'm a better striker, wrestler, and on the ground. I'm way better than him.

"Wherever the fight goes, I'm looking to cut him up. Cut him up, for sure."

Pico fights Friday at the Bellator 271 event. The show will be broadcast on Showtime in the US.