Aaron Pico will look to make it three consecutive victories when he takes on Lee Morrison this Saturday night at Bellator 199.

Aaron Pico, one of the brightest prospects in Bellator MMA, steps back into the cage this weekend.

The California native returns to action Saturday night to take on Lee Morrison at Bellator 199. The featherweight main card bout will take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California and will air on the Paramount Network.

Morrison continues the streak of experienced opponents for the 21-year-old Pico, who has an incredible wrestling pedigree. What has been somewhat surprising is the fact that even with his wrestling background, he hasn’t used it at all in his mixed martial arts career. It doesn’t seem like he is planning on using it against Morrison either.

“I feel comfortable on the ground and I feel comfortable on my feet,” Pico told FanSided MMA. “I’ve been training a lot with Jason Manley on the ground, working on my jiu-jitsu, working with Freddie Roach and Antonio McKee on my standup. When it comes down to it, I love being on my feet. I always say this; at the end of the day, what’s going to get you on SportsCenter? Is it going to be a submission or is it when someone gets knocked out cold? In my opinion, the knock out cold will get you on ESPN and I’ve been there twice with my knockouts. I like putting on a show and knocking people out. It’s best on my feet but I am very well prepared if it does go to the ground.

“People are well aware of my pedigree and I can take people down anytime I want. But for me, personally, I love being on my feet.”

Morrison brings a four-fight winning streak, all finishes, into his Bellator debut. “American Bulldog” last competed in November, submitting Justin Gardner in the second round of the War of All Warriors event. When his name was presented, Pico didn’t hesitate or know much about Morrison.

“To be honest, I just saw the name and I said ‘of course,’ Pico said. I sat down with my team, we talked about it and we started putting together a game plan that is best for this fight. He’s got a lot of experience and he’s probably training really, really hard — which I hope he is because I want a really good fight — but I try not to focus too much on my opponent. I’ve watched some film to see what he’s done and I’ve worked with my coaches to grind away. That’s what we do.”

I always say this; at the end of the day, what’s going to get you on SportsCenter? Is it going to be a submission or is it when someone gets knocked out cold?

After losing his Bellator, and MMA, debut to Zach Freeman last June at Bellator NYC, the cliché “too much, too soon” reared its ugly head. There was certainly a lot of pressure on them, then 20-year-old to compete on pay-per-view, at Madison Square Garden, against a tough opponent like Zach Freeman. Rather than listen to the doubters, Pico and his team learned from the loss and continued taking fights with experienced guys.

“It’s the position I’m in. That’s the hype that’s behind me,” Pico said. “When it comes down to it, that’s just me. I like the challenges. I see all the younger guys fighting guys who are 0-1, 2-4, but for me, I always feel that I’m ready to go. All of my fights are against guys with winning records and are older than me. Of course, after the first one, people were saying ‘it was too much, too soon’. I just made a mistake and I got caught. If it happened again, it would be a different story in my eyes.

“I take on the challenges. I train extremely hard and I know what I’ve got to do. Most importantly, I know I have the skills to back it up. I’m confident in myself, my team and there’s no doubt I can take on these challenges. It may seem a little bit crazy. But that’s why I’m in the position I’m in because I have made decisions as a kid that people thought were a little crazy. It’s gotten me this far. I’m gonna stick with my team. We don’t need to please anyone, we sit down and we figure out what was best for me.”

If all goes well for Pico, that will be three straight wins and a continued ascension up the Bellator lightweight ranks. With his team behind him, Pico wants to continue moving up the ladder at the right place. First thing’s first, he has to get his hand raised on Saturday night in San Jose.

“The most important thing is to get the job done in my next fight,” Pico said. “I just want to keep inching my way to a world title. I want to be a world champion and I will be a champion. I want a fight that will get me closer to being champion of the world. My whole goal is to win the title. If I got the call tomorrow to fight for a world title I would take it. I feel like I can contend because I’ve been competing against the best in the world and I know that I’m right there. I just need time to show the world that — inch by inch.”

Bellator 199 will be headlined by the final heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal fight between Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal and current light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader. A fascinating welterweight bout between Paul Daley and Jon Fitch will serve as the co-main event. Before those fights happen, will Aaron Pico steal the spotlight and end up on highlight reels across the sports world?

“I can’t give away all of the secrets. You’ll just have to tune in,” Pico said