Aaron Pico didn’t sit back when Movsar Evloev pulled out of their UFC Abu Dhabi fight. This was the second time their booking fell out of order, as that bout was close to being signed at UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Morales back in May. The first matchup fell off because Evloev wanted to fight Alexander Volkanovski. And the second time, an injury pushed Evloev out. But instead of slowing down, Pico locked in a new target — the undefeated Briton, Lerone Murphy, at UFC 319. And to prepare, he has turned to a recovery method that feels inspired by Dragon Ball Z. Just like Goku stepping into the healing chamber before a big battle, Pico has now turned to something similar to supercharge his recovery and sharpen his edge.

For his UFC debut, the 28-year-old featherweight debutant has been using a hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) capsule. Yes, it’s the same recovery and training tool (CTN Recovery Technology) that Ilia Topuria tends to use. As a result of the exposure to pure oxygen under high pressure, it directly dissolves in the body fluids and becomes available for use by the body inside an HBOT capsule. This super-oxygenation speeds up the body’s natural healing process. Sounds like something straight out of fantasy, right? Pico thinks so, too. 

Taking to X, the UFC featherweight debutant shared two pictures – One of him giving a thumbs-up inside an HBOT capsule, and the other of Goku from Dragon Ball Z accelerating his recovery inside a healing capsule. In the caption, Pico wrote just one word – “Recovery.” Pico’s opponent, Lerone Murphy, already believes that the former Bellator star is a tough and dangerous fighter. It’s a “big risk, big reward” type scenario for the Brit. But with Pico employing enhanced recovery processes like HBOT, things might turn ugly for Murphy. 

That’s what the fighting community seemed to think after Pico shared the X post. Scott Coker previously branded Aaron Pico as the greatest prospect in the history of MMA. And the HBOT treatment might just back that claim at UFC 319. But for now, let’s see what fans had to say about Pico’s DBZ-like recovery strategy. 

Fans back Aaron Pico as he shares his recovery process ahead of Lerone Murphy fight

Murphy has been disappointing fight fans with his overly cautious fighting style. Remember his fight against Josh Emmett at UFC Vegas 105? The Briton refused to engage, and as a result, the crowd showered him with boos. ‘The Miracle’ is undefeated with a record of 16-0-1, and has won seven fights via KO. But his last five wins have come via unanimous decisions. With all that in mind, one fan commented, “Pico by KO incoming.” Despite being an Englishman, Murphy doesn’t seem like he’s in the good graces of his countrymen as one fan wrote, “Please KO Lerone Murphy even us england fans wanna see that.” 

One user weighed in on Murphy’s last five appearances and wrote, “You’re fighting a pillow fist fighter you can’t afford to lose this.” Another fan used the Dragon Ball Z reference to praise Murphy’s Californian rival. The comment read, “Saiyajin blood.” One more fan confessed, “I want to try one of those out. I wonder how much more it enables you to train?”

However, a section of fans weren’t convinced with Pico’s preparation. One of them reflected on the performances that former PFL and Bellator fighters like Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix showcased this year. After debuting in the UFC, Pitbull has compiled a 1-1 promotional record, with both fights ending in decisions.

Patchy Mix had no luck in his UFC debut either. After talking a big game before UFC 316, the former Bellator bantamweight champ couldn’t really mount any meaningful offense on Mario Bautista and lost a three-round unanimous decision. It was an effective shutdown of the debutant by the #8-ranked UFC bantamweight. This made a fan wonder, “Gonna get picked apart to a decision like your buddies do when they come to the promotion?” One comment came with a fair warning for Pico, “All that and you will still get starched by Movsar.”

What do you think? Will Aaron Pico’s preparation break the streak of losing fighters coming over from the PFL/Bellator? Sound off in the comments.