UFC 327 Odds, Prediction: Patricio Pitbull vs. Aaron Pico

Aaron Pico looks to rebound from a crushing first-round loss in UFC debut when he returns to the octagon on Saturday, taking on fellow featherweight Patricio Pitbull in UFC 327 preliminary card action at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Pico’s defeat came by KO just 3:21 into his UFC debut matchup with Lerone Murphy at UFC 319, snapping a three-fight win streak, all in Bellator betting action.

Pitbull make his first appearance since last July, when he topped veteran Dane Ige with a three-round unanimous decision win at UFC 318, but has failed to tally consecutive wins in five fights since December 2022.

Pico is expected to rebound from his disappointing promotional debut, and oddsmakers have pegged him as a lofty -333 favourite on the UFC 327 odds. Pitbull lags as a +260 underdog, and the odds of this fight going a full three rounds are a short +120.

Patricio Pitbull

After enjoying a storied career in Bellator that featured multiple lightweight and featherweight title wins, Patricio Pitbell made the jump to the UFC last year, and finally earned his first victory in the octagon by outlasting Dan Ige last summer.

Pitbull is now set to face a familiar foe in Aaron Pico, whom he has long been eager to square off against. The 38-year-old veteran has been vocal in his pre-fight assessment of Pico, calling him out on his defensive lapses and questioning his durability.

However, Pitbull has faced issues of his own, losing two of three fights before joining the UFC and coming up short in his promotional debut at UFC 314, where dropped a unanimous decision to Yair Rodriguez in the same build he will fight in on Saturday night.

Aaron Pico

Hailed as a generational fighter when he joined Bellator back in 2017, Aaron Pico has proven his ability to devastate opponents with victories inside five minutes in eight of his first 16 fights. But he has also been prone to early defeats, with four of his five career defeats coming in the first round including two KOs and two submissions.

It was more of the same for the 29-year-old in his UFC debut last summer, as undefeated Englishman Lerone Murphy earned a Performance of the Night bonus by knocking out the former wrestler with a crushing spinning back elbow.

The question now is whether Pico has learned anything from that loss, and whether he can reward loyal UFC betting fans with a win over an aging rival with a proven ability to set the pace, go the distance, or finish business early.

UFC 327 Prediction: Patricio Pitbull vs. Aaron Pico

Pitbull’s hopes of victory hinge on his ability to take control of the fight early, effectively counter Pico’s punching power, and seize the opportunity when Pico miscalculates. But with the awe of a UFC debut now out of the way, expect a calmer and more methodical Pico to outlast the veteran and earn his first win in the octagon in a marathon matchup.

Prediction: Pico by decision/technical decision (+175).