Aaron Pico is preparing to hit The Octagon.

The 28-year-old Latino American mixed martial artist’s highly anticipated debut in the UFC will now take place against Lerone Murphy at UFC 319 in Chicago.

Pico (13-4) was supposed to make his first UFC appearance opposite Movsar Evloev (19-0) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, but Evloev was forced to withdraw earlier this month.

Pico, a longtime standout at Bellator MMA, publicly asked the UFC to rebook him as soon as possible. His 145-pound bout against Murphy (16-0-1) will serve as the UFC 319 co-main event on August 16 in Chicago.

It’s an interesting change for the entire featherweight division. Pico never held a championship in Bellator but has long been viewed as one of the best fighters in the world outside of the UFC.

Pico was once considered arguably the greatest prospect in MMA history, with extensive accolades in amateur wrestling and boxing.

In Evloev, he would’ve been facing the No. 1-ranked contender in the division. He will now turn his attention to Murphy, who is undefeated but ranked lower than Evloev.

Current featherweight champion Alexander