WATCH: Aaron Pico’s coaches violently try to reset his injured shoulder at Bellator 286 fight
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Aaron Pico being examined by the ringside physician shortly before the bout was called off
Aaron Pico suffered a shoulder injury at Bellator 286 and it gave us a unique look into instant physiotherapy required in the sport of MMA. The once-heralded prospect was matched up against Jeremy Kennedy and looked to build on his 6-fight-winning streak at Bellator 286.
In the first round itself, Pico likely dislocated his shoulder while over-extending on a punch. When he came to his corner, his Jackson Wink team knew they had less than a minute to put the shoulder back in its place before the bout would be called off so they got to work.
However, it might not have been the advised course of action as one of his trainers tried to violently pull it back into place. With Pico on the stool, his trainer locked his arm and started jerking it. After 6 of these Pico realized his shoulder was still out of place, leading the cage side doctors to call off the bout.
While desperation was a clear factor in play, many felt it was unwise of the trainers to perform something like this when they only have surface-level knowledge of what was going on inside his body at that moment.
Related: “The mid fight T-bag” – WATCH: AJ McKee humps opponent Spike Carlyle during Bellator 286
Doctors suggest Aaron Pico’s injury should’ve been handled by a professional
Veteran MMA Journalist, Luke Thomas described it as, “I’ve seen a lot of MMA bit I’ve never seen this before. “ Even Sports Medicine Doctor, Brian Sutterer , who often posts videos regarding the injuries suffered by UFC athletes to his YouTube channel said, “This could legit make things worse. Appreciate the intent but you should never try to reduce a joint this aggressively.” About the negligence from the Coach’s side he said, “Couldn’t believe what I was watching”
Shoulder dislocations are not new to MMA. Many fighters have kept going on despite injuries with some even ending the fight with a win, most notably Anthony Pettis in his early MMA career against Mike Lambrecht, where he dislocated his shoulder only to come back and win the fight via a head kick KO.
More recently Jamahal Hill similarly dislocated his shoulder while trying to escape a triangle attempt by Paul Craig. The fight would end with a TKO victory for Craig with many suspecting Hill had completely broken off his shoulder only to be out back in place by his team before the results were read out.
Also Read: UFC 263: Paul Craig defeats Jamahal Hill in the very first round of their fight
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Jerin Mathew
(713 Articles Published)