![]() ![]() “It’s a chance for guys who used to wrestle or box or kickbox or Muay Thai or jiu-jitsu, to become professional athletes and make a living doing what they love to do.” “I think this sport has become such a huge global phenomenon, there’s money in it,” said Dana White, president of UFC, on young athletes taking up MMA. So after weighing the pros and cons, discussing goals for the next decade and receiving blessings from his family, Pico decided to take the leap, freeing him to focus strictly on freestyle wrestling to make a run at the 20 Olympics, with MMA aspirations after that, which is becoming a popular destination for wrestlers. Pico and his father also talked to former college wrestlers, learning of the immense wear and tear the NCAA season can have on one’s body and that because of the commitment, it restricted their choice of majors. ![]() But due to Pico’s exposure to international wrestling communities, he was able to see that freestyle was the way to go and that splitting time with folkstyle didn’t make sense. would convert (school programs) to freestyle, and I think if they did, we’d do better as a country on the international level than what we’ve done before,” Pico told Dave Meltzer of, who first reported Pico turning pro.Īnthony wanted his son to take the traditional route of American wrestlers and compete collegiately. Freestyle is practiced virtually everywhere overseas and in the Olympics, as opposed to folkstyle wrestling, which is used in U.S. Pico said in interviews with the media, and reinforced by Anthony, that his decision was simply rooted in his desire to focus on freestyle wrestling, not money. Pico’s move also highlights the glaring differences between the international and American wrestling scenes. Zinkin Entertainment declined to be interviewed for this story. But from there the talks expanded into possible representation, with the options presented to Pico for consideration. That is when Anthony approached the Zinkins, strictly for legal advice on the matter. Getting these inquiries from the the professional ranks concerned Anthony, and he wanted to be able to preserve his son’s eligibility for the NCAA. Yet, it was around this time Pico and his family were getting approached by parties in the MMA world, gauging his interest in doing the sport. ![]() Ultimately, the family felt what he had in California could not be matched in Colorado and that it wasn’t worth it to separate Pico from his close-knit family. ![]() They visited before the 2013 state championships, when Pico went on to take the title in the 132-pound weight class and finish the season 42-0. The origins of the decision began during Pico’s freshman season at Bosco, when Pico and his family were flirting with the idea of relocating to Colorado so Pico could train at the U.S Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. “I’m comfortable in saying he will be OK,” said Anthony. Anthony Pico, Pico’s father, declined to go into any specifics on value of the contract. Once Pico signed, the MMA apparel line Dethrone, created by Nick Swinmurn, one of the founders of the retail giant Zappos, won a three-way bidding war to be Pico’s official sponsor. Pico’s contract is for five years with Zinkin, an agency that also represents Chuck Liddell and Cain Velasquez, among others. While there have been high school phenoms before Pico who have made the leap to the professional ranks, from swimmer Michael Phelps (signed at the age of 16) to golf’s Michelle Wie (15), Pico’s leap is unprecedented in his sport and one that might serve as a blueprint for future American wrestling stars. The news rippled through the wrestling and MMA communities, with blog posts and forums popping up all over the web dissecting the decision and predicting the teen’s future. The 17-year old was officially a professional athlete. John Bosco sophomore’s high school and collegiate wrestling eligibility. Pico sat at the kitchen table in his home in Whittier, his parents beside him, and signed a management contract with the MMA agency Zinkin Entertainment, ending the St. It was on New Year’s Eve, roughly 2 p.m., when Aaron Pico turned the wrestling and MMA worlds upside down. ![]()
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