Aaron Pico’s quest to earn his first-ever shot at the Bellator MMA Featherweight title came to an unfortunate end after he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the opening round of his fight against Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator 286 in Long Beach, California.
The injury happened midway through the opening frame, and Pico could be seen trying to pop it into place while Kennedy had him up against the cage. Once the round ended, Pico walked back to his corner with his left shoulder hanging low. His trainer, Brandon Gibson, immediately started pulling on his shoulder trying to pop it into place.
See it here:
Thinking the job was done, Pico got up to get out for round two. But right before the action started the referee called for a doctor to give his assessment of the injury. After looking it over, the doctor and official on duty had a conversation trying to decide whether or not to let him continue. Meanwhile, Pico was begging them to let the fight continue, which delayed the doctor’s final answer.
In the end, the doctor decided it was too dangerous (and rightfully so) to allow Pico — who couldn’t life his shoulder completely up — to continue on. The loss is a devastating one for Pico, who was seemingly one more win away from facing the winner of the night’s main event between champion, Patricio Pitbull, and Adam Borics.
For now, his shoulder is his main concern, as he will undoubtedly undergo further tests to determine the extent of his injury to see how long he remains on the sideline. This was the second night of the fight that came ot a crashing halt as a result of an injury.
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