This was certainly the case after Lerone Murphy knocked Aaron Pico out cold in the first round with a devastating spinning elbow. Along with immediately receiving praise from Dana White, Murphy’s win also attracted the attention of Volkanovski, who appeared to zero in on the undefeated Brit as his next challenger.

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski warns Aaron Pico that he's a different level. Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) said he's confident that he has the skillset to knock out Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC), and that the champion has never faced anyone with his wrestling caliber.

UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) was zoning in on numerous opponents for his next title defense. At one point it appeared to be Yair Rodriguez, then the champion shifted his focus to the winner of the originally scheduled bout between Movsar Evloev and Aaron Pico at UFC on ABC 9 in July.

Among the most prominent to send Pico a message was former lightweight and pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev, who had words of encouragement for the newcomer after a devastating first outing under the UFC banner. “Head up champ,” Makhachev commented.

Ever since Aaron Pico signed with Bellator as a blue-chip prospect in 2014, it seemed inevitable that he would fight in the UFC. It comes Saturday.

Aaron Pico has not wasted any time making his intentions clear in the UFC. The former Bellator standout enters the promotion with a decorated wrestling pedigree and wants to test it against divisional champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Lerone Murphy's spinning-elbow knockout of Aaron Pico at UFC 319 may have just earned him a shot at featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski.