Aaron Pico vs. Solo Hatley Jr. targeted for Bellator's July 24 return

Aaron Pico is back.

Bellator is targeting Pico (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) to take on rising prospect Solo Hatley Jr. (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in a featherweight bout on its first card back from a COVID-19-induced hiatus on July 24. The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the fight booking to MMA Junkie but requested anonymity since the promotion has yet to make an announcement. ESPN was first to report the news.

Bellator has yet to officially announce its plans for July 24 despite multiple reports of an event taking place in less than two weeks’ time. It will mark the promotion’s first event since Bellator 240 on Feb. 22 in Dublin.

Pico, 23, most recently competed at Bellator 238 in January, knocking out Daniel Carey in violent fashion. The victory punched his ticket back into the win column after losing back-to-back fights in 2019.

Hatley Jr. competed for LFA, among other regional promotions, before joining Bellator. He defeated Gaston Bolanos by split decision in his promotional debut in February. The 23-year-old riding a two-fight winning streak. His only pro loss came to current UFC bantamweight Austin Lingo.

With the addition the July 24 lineup includes:

Ricky Bandejas vs. Sergio Pettis Solo Hatley Jr. vs. Aaron Pico