This one should have happened years ago. And the fact that it's finally taking place, buried on the prelims of UFC 327, makes it one of the most quietly compelling fights on the entire card.

Patricio Pitbull and Aaron Pico were on a collision course in Bellator for years. Pico was the promotion's golden boy prospect, a former Olympic wrestling trials finalist with hands that could end a fight in a blink. Pitbull was the king of the division, a three-time featherweight champion who also captured Bellator's lightweight title and built one of the most decorated careers in the promotion's history. The fight made sense on paper for a long time. It just never happened.

Then Bellator folded into the PFL, both fighters eventually found their way to the UFC, and now here we are. Miami, April 11. Better late than never.

What makes this fight interesting is that both men arrive at UFC 327 with something to prove and not a lot of time left to prove it.

Pitbull lost his UFC debut to Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 last April and then bounced back with a decision win over Dan Ige at UFC 318 in July. At 38 years old he knows the window isn't wide open. He's already got his post-fight callout ready. He wants Aljamain Sterling next, calling out the former bantamweight champion for what he described as disrespect towards Bellator fighters. But first things first.

Pico's situation is more urgent. His UFC debut ended in brutal fashion when Lerone Murphy put him to sleep with a spinning back elbow at UFC 319 in Chicago, snapping a three-fight win streak he brought over from his Bellator days. That kind of knockout in your first Octagon appearance is hard to shake, both physically and mentally. Saturday night is his chance to reset the narrative.

The trash talk has been respectful but pointed. Pitbull told MMA Fighting that Pico has stone hands and a glass chin, pointing out that four of his five career losses have come by knockout. He's not wrong. Pico hits hard enough to put anyone to sleep but he's shown he can be put to sleep too. That's what makes this fight fun to think about.

Pitbull expects Pico to lean back on his wrestling after getting knocked out in his debut and says he's prepared for everything. Pico was an elite level wrestler long before he ever threw a punch professionally, reaching the finals of the 2016 US Olympic Team Trials before losing to Frank Molinaro in one of the closest series of the tournament. If he decides to take this to the mat it becomes a completely different fight than the Bellator showdown fans always imagined.

This isn't a title fight. It's not even a main card bout. But it carries more history than most fights on this card. Two Bellator era fighters, one unfinished chapter, finally getting settled inside a UFC cage.

The prelims are worth showing up early for this weekend.

Who takes it, Pitbull or Pico? Let us know below, and Join the UFC327 Comp free to join win cash prizes.