Aaron Pico has released a statement after his UFC debut ended in defeat on Saturday, as Lerone Murphy knocked him out with a brutal spinning back elbow.

Pico (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) took the fight against featherweight replacement opponent Lerone Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC), who stepped in for Movsar Evloev on just about three weeks' notice. He had won nine of his past 10 Bellator fights before that promotion was shuttered by the PFL, and the one loss was from an injury.