Among the most prominent to send Pico a message was former lightweight and pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev, who had words of encouragement for the newcomer after a devastating first outing under the UFC banner. “Head up champ,” Makhachev commented.

Learn more > Who will walk out of the United Center on August 16 as the UFC middleweight champion?

UFC 319 is built around a middleweight title bout with Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who meet at the top of the card.

UFC 319 was a dramatic affair from Chicago, Illinois, with a 12-fight card headlined by Dricus du Plessis and the newly-crowned champion Khamzat Chimaev. The main card saw back-to-back knockouts come by spinning elbow as Carlos Prates KO’d Geoff Neal, and the undefeated Lerone Murphy spoiled Aaron Pico’s UFC debut in brutal fashion.

Jackson-Wink MMA trained fighter Aaron Pico has had a tough road to the pros, but on Saturday night in Chicago, at UFC 319, he'll take on Lerone Murphy in his

Both men made weight, with the undefeated Murphy registering at 146 pounds, while Murphy was on championship weight at 145 on the nose. Check out the video below to see their UFC 319 official weigh-ins.