The Claim: Aaron Pico was immediately hospitalized following his knockout loss to Lerone Murphy at UFC 319.
At UFC 319, held on August 16, 2025, Aaron Pico made his UFC promotional debut against Britain’s Lerone Murphy in a featherweight co-main event at Chicago’s United Center.
Lerone Murphy had accepted this fight against Aaron Pico at UFC 319 on three weeks’ notice. The fight was announced on July 26, 2025, three weeks before the event took place.
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On August 16, as the first round began, Aaron Pico’s UFC debut started with him aggressively pushing forward, landing combinations to back Lerone Murphy against the cage, as explained by CBS Sports. Pico locked Murphy up, but Murphy escaped, though Pico kept applying pressure with body shots.
When Pico changed levels for a takedown, Murphy countered with an elbow and locked onto Pico’s neck as they went to the canvas, but Pico escaped again. Murphy got back to his feet, only to be taken down a second time before landing a big knee as Pico went for another level change.
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As Pico came forward, Murphy spun and landed a perfect spinning back elbow that sent Pico down motionless. The referee immediately stopped the fight at 3 minutes and 21 seconds of the first round.
On the final official result, Murphy extended his undefeated record to 18 fights (17 wins and 1 draw), while Pico’s record moved to 13 wins and 5 losses overall, marking a tough UFC debut for the former Bellator star. The detailed strike and takedown stats from the official UFC fight metrics record show Murphy connected on 13 of 29 significant strikes, including the fight-ending spinning elbow, while Pico landed 8 of 16 significant strikes and scored two takedowns, but was caught by Murphy’s timely counter.
Hours after the match ended, reports of Aaron Pico’s hospitalization began circulating. MMA Mania confirmed that Aaron Pico was transported to the hospital immediately after his brutal spinning elbow knockout loss for medical evaluation, citing “company officials” in their report.
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Instagram posts by fightbasics from MMA camps and official accounts documented the hospitalization and medical checks. The post also mentioned “Pico was transported to the local hospital for a precautionary CT scan of his head and face,” citing “company officials.”
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Was Aaron Pico hospitalized?
While the “company officials” from media reports on Aaron Pico’s hospitalization remain ambiguous, the most direct official confirmation comes from UFC President Dana White during the UFC 319 post-fight press conference. Dana White stated:
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“Pico was transferred,” which could refer either to a hospital or a medical facility, though there are no official reports confirming a hospital transfer. In UFC usage, “transferred” commonly connotes that a fighter was moved from on-site medical care to a hospital for further evaluation, literally transferred from one location to another. He later added, “I’m no doctor, but I’m going to say he has a concussion, for sure. We haven’t heard anything back that anything bad is happening. He’s getting checked for his head and face.”
This indicates that Pico was immediately taken for medical evaluation due to concerns about a concussion and head injury, which is standard procedure following severe knockouts.
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Aaron Pico later addressed the incident in an Instagram post dated August 18, 2025:
“Last night wasn’t my night, that’s the fight game. I’m grateful for my team, my family, and everyone who continues to support me. The supporters that have been there from day one and my new supporters, I see you! Thank you. Wins and losses both teach lessons and I’ll come back sharper, stronger, and better prepared.”
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Notably, Pico’s statement did not reference being hospitalized, focusing instead on his gratitude and plans to return.
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Our Rating: Partly True
The reports do not conclusively confirm that Aaron Pico was transported to a hospital after UFC 319. Dana White stated that Pico was “getting checked for his head and face,” which likely refers to a medical evaluation either at the event site or at a nearby facility, but did not explicitly confirm a hospital transfer. Some reports mentioned hospitalization, but no hospital statements or medical records have been released into the public domain.
In summary, while some outlets and social media reported that Pico was hospitalized, the only firm official confirmation pertains to medical checks; whether those were performed in a hospital or on-site is not definitively clarified.
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