Zach Freeman was a massive underdog heading into Saturday’s Bellator NYC scrap with mega-prospect Aaron Pico.

Still, Freeman (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) needed only 24 seconds to finish Pico (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and spoil one of MMA’s most highly anticipated pro debuts. That took, first, the courage to accept a fight that Freeman says many of his peers thought wouldn’t pay off. Then, it took the perfect pairing of an uppercut and a D’Arce choke.

After making the best of the situation, Freeman wants others to understand just how unpredictable a fight of any nature – and magnitude – can be.

“I think there’s a lot to learn from this (Floyd Mayweather) and (Conor McGregor) fight,” Freeman told MMAjunkie Radio. “People want to count McGregor out. It’s a fight. It takes one punch to change everything. Just like my uppercut. It changed everything.

“Whether that was the 50th punch I threw in the fight or it was the second one: It’s a fight between two men. No one’s a super human. We all go in that cage, and we all bleed. So, at the end of the day, anybody can win. To count somebody out is absolutely ridiculous.”

Freeman and Pico met in a pay-per-view lightweight bout, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York. Boxing legend Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion McGregor are set to meet in a much-anticipated boxing showdown Aug. 26 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

The 33-year-old Freeman, who came into his Bellator debut off a five-round title loss to Thiago Moises at last September’s RFA 44, understands how the fight business works. Therefore, at no point was he oblivious to the heavy promotional push that was behind 20-year-old wrestling phenom and former Golden Gloves champ Pico.

In fact, even at the press-conference that followed his massive win, he got another reminder of that.

“My first question was why was he in there,” Freeman said. “That was my moment. He lost. Why was he in there for the press conference? That, to me, just shows they have a lot invested in him.

“I still have a lot of work to do before I earn the respect of Bellator and some other fighters. But anyone who’s trained with me, they know I have just as much potential. I’m just as much of a prospect. I can easily be holding the belt in an year or two.”

Freeman is also aware that, having been the first man to beat Pico in a professional MMA bout, there’s a chance the prospect might seek that revenge in the future. And, as long as his needs are met, he’s absolutely fine with that.

“I’m for sure going to do that, but that’s going to be after I renegotiate my contract,” Freeman said. “It’s going to be for a lot more money than I did fight Aaron Pico for. It’s going to make for a great main event down the future for Bellator MMA.”

For complete coverage of Bellator NYC and Bellator 180, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

And for more on “The Money Fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor,” check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.