Bellator 192's Aaron Pico's fight day: Cold-pressed juice, grass-fed meats and church

Aaron Pico’s fight day looks a lot like any other regular day for him.

He wakes up, drinks his cold-pressed juice. He’ll have his usual breakfast. He’ll eat pretty much what he eats every day.

“My eating is really really good. I eat all-organic, grass-fed meats and all kinds of stuff,” Pico told MMAjunkie Radio. “I take care of my body. I don’t go crazy or anything like that.”

He’ll relax with his family. Probably watch some movies. “Nothing really crazy,” he said. The whole point is just staying as relaxed as possible. All in all, it’s quite similar to any other of his peers’ fight days.

Except for maybe this Rocky Balboa-esque twist.

“And I go say a prayer at the church, and then I know it’s a fight,” Pico said. “I usually go when nobody is there. I just go by myself, say a little prayer, and then I know it’s on.”

Pico (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) will get to repeat his ritual on Saturday prior to Bellator 192, where he meets fellow featherweight Shane Kruchten (12-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). The main-card bout airs on Paramount (formerly Spike) from The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Pico, a 21-year-old Californian, is appreciative of the support of his family and friends in what he expects will be a great, stacked night of fights – with the bonus of getting to wake up in his own bed.

Whether that will translate into a win, though, isn’t entirely up to him. While the amateur-wrestling standout is, once more, the one with the hype going in, he wasn’t exactly given a cupcake in the more experienced Kruchten, who’s more than a decade his senior.

The first time Pico stepped onto the Bellator cage, which also served as his first pro MMA bout, veteran Zach Freeman took no notice of his “super prospect” label and made quick work of him.

Pico, however, made the most of his shot at redemption; less than three months later, he left the Bellator 183 cage with a gorgeous first-round knockout over Justin Linn.

Now, against Krutchen, he gets a chance to offer further evidence that he is indeed more than just an on-paper promise. And while he knows he’s got a good, tested opponent with a solid record in front of him, Pico trusts his own training.

“My whole game plan for this fight is just to stay calm, stay relaxed,” Pico said. “I know I’ve gone through every position that you can possibly go through, every scenario you can possibly think of. So I’m prepared.

“I’ve got the greatest partners that I can think of, A.J. McKee and Baby Slice (Kevin Ferguson Jr.) over at the Bodyshop. Most important thing, we’ve got the greatest coach, I believe, in Antonio McKee. So we’re ready. We’re ready for everything.”

To hear from Pico, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 192, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.