The big Bellator card in April gets beefed up even more.
One of Bellator’s brightest young stars will be on the promotion’s big card in San Jose, CA.
MMA Fighting reports that verbal agreements are in for Aaron Pico to take on former UFC and PFL fighter Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator 277 on April 15th. Marcel Dorff had the initial scoop. Showtime will air the main card live, with prelims broadcast on PlutoTV and on YouTube.
Pico (9-3) has seemingly found his footing in MMA after being touted as one of the best prospects in the sport’s history. The former freestyle wrestling standout had a disastrous pro debut in 2017 when he was submitted by Zach Freeman at Bellator 180. In 2019 he had consecutive knockout losses to Henry Corrales and Adam Borics to put his record at 4-3. Since then he’s rattled off five in a row, with only his most recent opponent Justin Gonzales able to go the distance. The 25-year-old’s most notable win to date is against Leandro Higo.
Kennedy (17-3, 1 NC) had a 3-1 record in the UFC, losing only to current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. The Canadian competed in the 2019 PFL season, reaching the semifinals but suffering a (since overturned) guillotine loss to Daniel Pineda. Kennedy signed with Bellator in 2020, winning his debut against Matt Bessette before suffering a loss to Adam Borics. He’s coming off a decision win over former title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 272.
Bellator 277 features a featherweight championship rematch between the undefeated A.J. McKee and the legendary Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire. The co-main event is the light heavyweight title/grand prix final between reigning champ Vadim Nemkov and former UFC contender Corey Anderson.