If Aaron Pico had stayed

Newtoposting · February 3

Hindsight is easy to mention but how would Picos career gone if he has stayed the wrestling course and went the ncaa route.

my thoughts are that he could have been a 4 timer, then had a great feeestyler career also. Would have been great to see.

MPhillips · February 3

I don't believe the USA would have had the trouble at 65kg with him there...

Ohio Elite · February 3

He owned Zaine.

Truzzcat · February 3

I think he would have been our rep for at least two cycles more than likely however I do think he matured so early that his progression from when we last saw him to now may have not been that extreme so I don't know that we can say for sure he would've been medaling every year given how strong 65kg is, but I do think wed have a gold or two from 2017 to now.

nhs67 · February 3

3 hours ago, Truzzcat said:

I think he would have been our rep for at least two cycles more than likely however I do think he matured so early that his progression from when we last saw him to now may have not been that extreme so I don't know that we can say for sure he would've been medaling every year given how strong 65kg is, but I do think wed have a gold or two from 2017 to now.

He was right there with Yazdani (the 86 KG one) through their Age level careers, wasn't he? Why wouldn't he be able to maintain the same levels of success?

nhs67 · February 3

My thinking is does he go 70 KG then 74 KG in Olympic years? He is extremely lean at 36 hour before weigh-ins. He even dabbled up at 155lbs for a bit.

Edited February 3 by nhs67

Lleynor · February 3

If he went 74, he'd get wrecked.

Making 65 may be difficult for him through the years. But if he could've made it, definitely would've been interesting.

We'll always wonder what could've been back in 2016.

Truzzcat · February 3

1 hour ago, nhs67 said:

He was right there with Yazdani (the 86 KG one) through their Age level careers, wasn't he? Why wouldn't he be able to maintain the same levels of success?

Thats kinda my point I think Yaz beat him 9-3 but he was obviously still physically maturing a ton given where he wrestles now where as Aaron and maintained the same size same with Chamizo although to not the same degree.

Perry · February 3

Given how much he absolutely abused retherford over the years I'd say the odds of him having Eben a 4 timer were quite good.

swoopdown · February 3

Whoa - didn't expect Pico to rack up additional forum fantasy match victories. His longevity is unmatched. Most impressive! Looking forward to seeing whether or not he continues the streak in 2025.

SocraTease · February 3

33 minutes ago, swoopdown said:

Whoa - didn't expect Pico to rack up additional forum fantasy match victories. His longevity is unmatched. Most impressive! Looking forward to seeing whether or not he continues the streak in 2025.

David Taylor is still the G.O.A.T. of Unicorns. But I see you've enlarged the Unicornicopia of possibilities.

Lleynor · February 3

Just now, SocraTease said:

David Taylor is still the G.O.A.T. of Unicorns. But I see you've enlarged the Unicornicopia of possibilities.

He's also an Olympic and World Champ. His status isn't imaginary.

Hammerlock3 · February 3

14 hours ago, Newtoposting said:

Hindsight is easy to mention but how would Picos career gone if he has stayed the wrestling course and went the ncaa route.

my thoughts are that he could have been a 4 timer, then had a great feeestyler career also. Would have been great to see.

what about if no one ever quit wrestling ever? Pico never makes the team IMHO

swoopdown · February 3

1 hour ago, Lleynor said:

He's also an Olympic and World Champ. His status isn't imaginary.

You're right. Taylor's actual accomplishments coupled with Pico's most recent fantasy victories have moved Pico to the top ranking. Taylor is clearly regressing. Maybe he needs to change to a different RTC.

Edited February 3 by swoopdown

Hammerlock3 · February 3

4 hours ago, Lleynor said:

If he went 74, he'd get wrecked.

Making 65 may be difficult for him through the years. But if he could've made it, definitely would've been interesting.

We'll always wonder what could've been back in 2016.

the guy who beat him takes fifth...there you go.

billyhoyle · February 3

The Pico haters ignore how good he was at such a young age and what the sport lost by him becoming lower-tier MMA fighter. Not only did he have Retherford's number, but he also was very close to making the Olympic team at 19. He also had multiple junior world medals at a time when those were harder to come by for USA wrestlers.

Pinnacle · February 4

14 hours ago, SocraTease said:

David Taylor is still the G.O.A.T. of Unicorns. But I see you've enlarged the Unicornicopia of possibilities.

Taylor is a multiple time World and Olympic Champ. Pico is just a Unicorn in this sport.

bnwtwg · February 4

Aaron Pico never lost to Kyle Dake.

Pico>Taylor

de4856 · February 4

Well we can only speculate about Pico, obviously he was something special and I have to believe that he would have garnered a couple of World medals. IMO when he went to MMA, it was their gain and our loss.

Pinnacle · February 5

9 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

Aaron Pico never lost to Kyle Dake.

Pico>Taylor

Never lost to Sadulaev either, so he probably beats Kyle Snyder

Spladle08 · February 5

(I was a HUGE Pico guy)

Real answer:
He'd of been aight.
He was great (and I fully get that he was young).
But the world is deep at 65kg, heck we are "deep enough" domestically. Yes he owned Zain. But the Train ain't the only game in town. You can speculate he would've gotten better, but he would've been more studied. He would've had more of a target on his back. he would've......
With our qualification process, and the depth domestically and world-wide with razor thin margins. He could've made no teams, or made 5 teams, he could've not medaled or had a Seabass-type draw and won it all easily. All Speculation, with no "Proof" one way or the other"
Also: We cant speculate that because he had Zain's number that a Nick Lee or Yainni or somebody wouldn't have just been his forever kryptonite.

As Far as College Goes
He wasn't really wrestling Folk
His takedown-game wouldn't have been the same strength in folkstyle. Pace, pressure, edge wrestling, etc. wasn't/isnt the same strength as it is internationally. Riding time, diving out of bounds, funking into stalemates.
Being a 4xer, is just too tough. 0 Reason to believe that would be realistic.

mspart · February 5

Pico would not have been a 4 timer in my opinion.

mspart

steamboat_charlie · February 7

Kid was born a few years too early. If NIL was a real option back then I'd wager he'd go the college route. Could've been a 4xer under the right circumstances, and picked up some international hardware along the way.

The way he was able to control opponents at such a young age was uncanny. People doubting his potential years down the line now is just resentment for him quitting, IMO. The kid was a special talent as a wrestler.

mspart · February 7

#2 in Bellator. Doing good there. You might be right Steamboat. I just disagree that he would have been a 4 timer.

mspart

billyhoyle · February 8

7 hours ago, mspart said:

#2 in Bellator. Doing good there. You might be right Steamboat. I just disagree that he would have been a 4 timer.

mspart

The fact that he’s still in bellator after 7 years speaks to how disappointing his mma career has been.

He might not have been a 4 timer, but he was better than Retherford. It’s not out of the question that he could have done it.

If Aaron Pico had stayed

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