One to Watch: Aaron Pico vs. Zach Freeman

Bellator will follow the UFC's lead in holding a show at New York City's Madison Square Garden this weekend. Bellator NYC, otherwise known as Bellator 180, will also be the promotion's second-ever pay-per-view (PPV) offering.

Whether you're thinking of purchasing the PPV or not, this Bellator NYC card is the promotion's star-studded offering and it's an event littered in interesting fights throughout on top of their cast of big-name fighters.

Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva will finally settle their beef in a grudge match serving as the headline act on Saturday, while the rescheduled heavyweight tilt between Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione acts as the co-main event. There are also three title fights for your viewing pleasure; including the clash, and rematch, of former UFC light heavyweight stars Phil Davis and Ryan Bader, Michael Chandler makes another lightweight title defence against Brent Primus, while Douglas Lima defends his welterweight championship against promotional newcomer Lorenz Larkin.

With a top-heavy card deliberately designed to attract casual viewers with the lure of big names of yesteryear, it's only natural for some exciting bouts to slip under the radar, and Aaron Pico vs. Zach Freeman embodies that perfectly.

Pico will be making his MMA debut opening up the PPV portion of the event, which says a lot considering his fight with Freeman breaks up the run of three consecutive title fights, shunting the Davis vs. Bader to preliminary card mediocrity. But it's an MMA debut Bellator has been eagerly anticipating for some time—31 months, to be exact—having signed Pico to its roster back in 2014.

There are plenty of reasons behind Bellator's fussing over a total MMA novice in Pico. At 20-years-old, Pico boasts stellar amateur combat sports credentials, winning U.S. national championships in folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Pico also won silver and bronze in the Junior World Championships in 2014 and 2015 respectively, before reaching the U.S. Olympic Trials ahead of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he came close to becoming the first teenager to make the U.S. Olympic team in 40 years, finishing in second place for his weight category.

Then there's Pico's experience in boxing and pankration. In 2009, Pico won the National Junior Golden Gloves Championship to round off a run of winning four regional youth championships within two years in boxing. '08-'09 was a busy time for Pico in pankration as well, winning three regional youth championships before winning the European Pankration Golden Cup in Kharkov, Ukraine, in 2010.

Pico also happens to be a 7 th generation Californio and a direct descendent of Pio de Jesus Pico, who was the last Mexican Governor of California under the Providence of Mexico.

Pico may well be one of the most decorated and impressive amateurs to walk into professional MMA—at MSG, no less—and is a genuine prospect for Bellator to hang its proverbial hat on. Given his background, Pico isn't stepping into the cage against a tomato can on Saturday.

Freeman, a native of St. Charles, Missouri, has an MMA record of 8-2 and has headlined and co-headlined top regional promotions RFA and Titan FC. "The Altar Boy" has faced former UFC competition in Jake Lindsey, while we last saw him compete in the cage against RFA lightweight champion Thiago Moises, taking the Brazilian to a decision in a losing effort despite breaking his hand in the second round.

Training at St. Charles MMA, the gym which nurtured UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and Bellator lightweight champion Chandler in the early stages of their careers, Freeman has been longing for an opportunity to compete on the big stage as he splits his time between fighting and as a business development manager for a furniture company.

Freeman respects Pico and his achievements, though he feels he has been presented with plenty of opportunities in life given his background. As a result of said accomplishments, Freeman is being routinely overlooked in the build-up to Pico's fighting debut. Despite not being featured on any Bellator promotional material compared to his opponent, he is embracing the role as an underdog.

"He's got almost royalty, something about his grandfather being the last Mexican governor generations ago," Freeman told the SFLC podcast. "He's also had opportunity. My best friend could've been a professional golfer, but he didn't have the family or the money to help support that, so now he is a golf superintendent. Aaron Pico has had opportunity his whole life. He's got a lot of things going for him. There's one thing to question—can he take a punch and keep fighting? I'm sure he can. But, we're going to find out. I've proven myself in the cage. I don't have to prove anything to anybody, he does. I'm just going to go out there and perform, and I'm going to be a tough fight, that's all there is to it.

"I'd say he's got everything to lose. He's getting built up, and I'm just this guy Zach Freeman. They [Bellator] haven't even shown a picture of me. I'm like, 'Whatever, I don't even give a shit.' At the end of the day, it's a fight. No one is going in there with him, none of the cameras, none of his coaches, it's going to be him by himself. It's two men, we're going to fight, we're going to have fun, and one is going to come out a winner. I've come out a winner in most of my fights. For me to come out losing, you have to take that. And I'm not just going to give it away."

Whether we see the grand unveiling of MMA's latest superstar in the making or an unexpected upset in favour of a fighter who has 10 more professional bouts under his belt than the untested favourite, seeing how Pico fares against a decent fighter will be fascinating watch. Make sure you don't miss it on Saturday night.