Tag: Renato Moicano

Renato Moicano: UFC champ Ilia Topuria ‘very small’ for lightweight

Renato Moicano believes UFC featherweight champ Ilia Topuria’s knockout power would translate at 155 pounds, but that’s about it.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] advises UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] against moving up to lightweight.

After back-to-back knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Topuria recently hinted at a move up to 155 pounds. Topuria made his successful lightweight debut in March 2022 when he knocked out Jai Herbert but wound up dropping back down to featherweight to make his successful title run.

Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC), who’s won four fights in a row, sees Topuria’s power translating to lightweight. However, stylistically, he expects his size and grappling to give him problems.

“To be honest, I think he would knock out a lot of people,” Moicano said of Topuria on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “He is very good. I think he is very good, but in my defense, I think I would finish him because I’m not a striker, I’m a grappler. If I get his back, I can finish him 100 percent.

“But if you try to strike against him, he is a solid striker. The fight against Max Holloway was just incredible. The guy is good. But to be honest, too, I think he’s very small for the division. I don’t know. I think he should stay at 145. … Easy money, I’m going to show you 155.”

Moicano returns Jan. 18 when he takes on Beneil Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout at UFC 311 from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano booked for UFC 311

Renato Moicano will look to build on his momentum against Beneil Dariush at UFC 311 in Los Angeles.

An important lightweight contender fight has been added to the first UFC pay-per-view event of 2025.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] and [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] will collide in a three-round bout Jan. 18 at UFC 311 from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., the promotion announced Thursday.

Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) enters the bout on a two-fight skid that consists of first-round TKO losses to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. The consecutive defeats have come after eight-straight wins.

Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) has won six of his most recent seven outings, with the lone loss a short-notice catchweight unanimous decision defeat to Rafael dos Anjos. Moicano has won three in a row, most recently brutalizing Benoit Saint Denis in September.

With the addition, the UFC 311 lineup includes:

  • Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan – for lightweight title
  • Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov – for bantamweight title
  • Jamahal Hill vs. Jiri Prochazka
  • Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano
  • Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
  • Muin Gafurov vs. Rinya Nakamura
  • Bogdan Guskov vs. Johnny Walker
  • Ailin Perez vs. Karol Rosa
  • Sedriques Dumas vs. Zach Reese
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Payton Talbott
  • Bernardo Sopaj vs. Ricky Turcios

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Renato Moicano agrees with Chael Sonnen that Justin Gaethje would be a good fight

Renato Moicano is all in for a fight with Justin Gaethje.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] is all in for a fight with [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag].

Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) battered Benoit Saint Denis en route to a second-round doctor’s stoppage TKO September at UFC Fight Night 243 in Paris.

Moicano’s star continued to rise after notching his fourth-straight win, and the Brazilian thinks the sky is the limit for him with his ever growing popularity.

“Now, the best thing is that you don’t need to rely on nobody,” Moicano said on his “Show Me The Money” podcast. “Sometimes to get a title fight, you need big names like Gaethje or you need somebody who fought for the title. Right now, you just have to keep winning.

“It doesn’t matter who you fight now. It could be Paddy Pimblett. It could be Dan Hooker. It could be Justin Gaethje. It doesn’t matter. One more win, two more wins, doesn’t matter – you’re going to fight for the title because now people start to recognize you.”

Paddy Pimblett still interests Moicano, but he’d want to up the stakes for that fight. As for Dan Hooker, Moicano is ready to move on to an even bigger fight – Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), which Chael Sonnen called a no brainer of a matchup. Moicano fought with a shoulder injury in his win over Saint Denis, but insists he’d be ready before the end of the year.

“To be completely honest with you, Paddy Pimblett is a good fight because he is famous, but I would rather fight with him if we do ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ because that’s going to be funny and a lot of exposure,” Moicano said. “Other than that, for just a fight, I would rather face Justin Gaethje because I think Dan Hooker is not going to get the fight. He had the opportunity now to say let’s fight, but he’s saying that I dodged him in Perth.

“That’s not true. They didn’t offer me that fight. Let’s make the fight for December. I’m telling you that I’m ready for December, January. It doesn’t matter. But if Dan Hooker doesn’t want that fight, let’s go with Justin Gaethje. I saw Chael Sonnen talking about that and I agree with him: Justin Gaethje would be a good fight. It doesn’t matter, brother. I’m coming for the gold, my brother. I will be f*cking champion of this division.”

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Chael Sonnen pitches Justin Gaethje vs. Renato Moicano, calls matchup ‘glaringly obvious’

Chael Sonnen argues that Justin Gaethje is exactly the type of fight Renato Moicano needs.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] argues that [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] is exactly the type of fight [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] needs.

Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) battered Benoit Saint Denis en route to a second-round doctor’s stoppage TKO in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 headliner in Paris. The outspoken lightweight made the most of his time on the mic, and Sonnen would like to see him get a big name to help catapult his stardom to the next level.

“Moicano’s next fight is Justin Gaethje,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “Now, that is exactly what my response would be. For me, that’s like glaringly obvious.”

Moicano called out Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker, two fan favorites. But Sonnen thinks a win over former interim champion Gaethje would open all the doors for “Money Moicano.”

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), who’s coming off a knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April, isn’t currently booked. Prior to the Holloway loss, Gaethje beat Rafael Fiziev, then knocked out Dustin Poirier.

“If you got over on Dustin Poirier, you could then do anything,” Sonnen said. “Fight for titles, main events, there’d be no argument that you couldn’t fit nicely into. And Justin Gaethje brings those same accolades, but there’s one difference, which is you don’t have to be as careful with the bookings of Gaethje because he is not in a situation where he’s saying my next one is my final one.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

Dana White wowed by Renato Moicano’s UFC Fight Night 243 victory through injury

Dana White reacts to the UFC Paris main event and explains why Renato Moicano may have lucked out in a sense.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] like many viewers was wowed by [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]’s win and toughness at UFC Fight Night 243 in Paris on Saturday.

Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) defeated Benoit Saint Denis by doctor stoppage and later revealed he competed in the bout with a significant shoulder injury.

White was complimentary of Moicano’s performance, but also said he thinks in a sense the Brazilian fighter may have lucked out.

“It was incredible what he was able to do with that injury, and sitting in the corner was never even a concern,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters following Dana White’s Contender Series 74 on Tuesday at the UFC Apex. “It’s not like they were (complaining). And they’re lucky. Because if Saint Denis’ eye didn’t look like that and the doctor didn’t go over to the other side, the fight is off.”

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After the fight, Moicano mentioned Dan Hooker and Paddy Pimblett as potential next opponents. From the UFC’s perspective though, White said it’s way too early to start planning any sort of matchups.

“We won’t talk about Moicano for a couple more weeks,” White said. “We won’t even talk about him for a couple more weeks. First of all, you saw what happened to him. It’s going to be a minute before he’s even discussed.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 74.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Oct. 1: Renato Moicano got no movement in UFC’s rankings – but he did in ours

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Paris, where Renato Moicano made a big statement at lightweight.

The cornerstone event of the past weekend in MMA went down in France with UFC Fight Night 243 in Paris, which featured a significant lightweight fight in the main event.

Brazil’s [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] continued his run of success with a sixth consecutive victory at 155 pounds when he battered Benoit Saint Denis into a second-round doctor’s stoppage TKO at Accor Arena.

Moicano demanded a sizeable jump in the lightweight hierarchy after the fight, but he was met with zero movement in the official UFC rankings, which got him angry. He won’t get a leap quite as high as he wants in our latest update, but he did make upward progress nonetheless.

There was some other noteworthy results in Paris, including Nassourdine Imavov beating Brendan Allen in a key middleweight co-main event fight.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings

Renato Moicano goes off on ‘total bullsh*t’ UFC rankings after Benoit Saint Denis win keeps him at No. 11

Renato Moicano has a major issue with his ranking remaining the same after UFC Fight Night 243.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] has an issue with his official ranking after UFC Fight Night 243.

Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) battered Benoit Saint Denis for a second-round doctor’s stoppage TKO this past Saturday in Paris to notch his fourth straight win. Despite his impressive performance, Moicano stayed put at No. 11 in the UFC lightweight rankings, which he took umbrage with.

“That’s the first time I see somebody destroy their opponent and don’t get up on the rankings… I guess MMA journalists love macron too.”

Moicano had a feeling that would be the case prior to the rankings update. He went on a rant on X, explaining why the majority of the fighters ranked above him don’t merit their standing. He thinks he should be ranked No. 6.

“If UFC rankings aren’t total bullsh*t, I should be ranked No. 6 in the lightweight division tomorrow,” Moicano said. “Why? In the last 8 months, I’ve fought 3 times, and I’m on a six-fight win streak in the lightweight division, with five stoppages. Yet, ranked above me are No. 10 Max Holloway, a legend, but he’s at 145 and will be facing Topuria for the featherweight belt at UFC 308. Even if he loses, his spot in the lightweight rankings makes no sense. He just beat Gaethje, so if anything, he should be ranked No. 3. I’d gladly take No. 7 if that was case. No. 9 Rafael Fiziev coming off two losses to Mateusz Gamrot and Justin Gaethje. His last fight was in September 2023.

“No. 8 Mateusz Gamrot coming off a loss to Dan Hooker in August 2024. No. 7 Beneil Dariush coming off two losses to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. His last fight was in December 2023. No. 6 Michael Chandler: If anyone doesn’t deserve this spot, it’s Michael Chandler. He’s 2-3 in the UFC, coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier in November 2022. Since then, he’s been sitting out, waiting for Conor McGregor’s return, and only now decided to fight Charles Oliveira. There’s no way I’m not No. 6 in the lightweight division right now.”

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Video: How surprising was Renato Moicano’s beatdown of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Paris?

Who saw this coming from Renato Moicano in enemy territory at UFC Paris? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

[autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag] entered UFC Fight Night 243 looking to reestablish himself as a legitimate lightweight contender on his home turf, but [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] had other plans as he won their main event in Paris by second-round TKO.

Moicano’s win might not have come by surprise to many, but the way in which he won sure did. He took down Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) just 23 seconds into the fight and proceeded to batter him with hard elbows and punches for the rest of the first round, splitting him open all over his face. The fight saw a Round 2, but the damage was too much to let it continue into the third, resulting in a doctor stoppage TKO win for Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC).

Given the circumstances and setting around the fight, just how surprising was Moicano’s beatdown of Saint Denis? Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Nolan King, Dan Tom and Brian “Goze” Garcia answer that and more with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, and check out this week’s entire episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

Renato Moicano: Dan Hooker’s top-five UFC lightweight ranking is like ‘a turtle in a tree’

Renato Moicano has no idea how Dan Hooker wound up in the UFC’s top five lightweight rankings.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] has no idea how [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] wound up in the UFC’s top five lightweight rankings.

Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) earned that spot by edging out Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 in August. Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC), who battered Benoit Saint Denis en route to a doctor’s stoppage TKO in Round 2 of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 headliner, sees Hooker as an easy path to the top five.

“I don’t know how he’s in the top five – that’s unbelievable,” Moicano said during the ESPN post-fight show. “It’s like to see a turtle in a tree. Have you seen a turtle in a tree? Somebody put him there. That’s the whole thing, you know? He didn’t climb the tree, but he’s on the tree. So if they want to give me an easy pass for the title shot, Dan Hooker is easy money.

“Imagine if I take him down, what I’m going to do to him. He has no ground game. Paddy Pimblett is another easy money, but I respect him a little bit more. You know why? Because he has a lot of followers. If you have followers, you have my respect. People want to see Paddy Pimblett, and I respect him.”

When asked what his strongest attribute is, Moicano said it’s his will to win.

“I cannot afford to lose,” Moicano said. “I’m telling everybody I have a house to pay. I just bought a new house. Dumb decision, but we don’t do decisions by head, we do by heart. I want to see my kid grow in a great backyard with a pool, and then I did that mistake. So until the house is paid, until all my debt is paid, I cannot afford to lose. Doesn’t matter if even Khabib (Nurmagomedov) comes back – I will beat Khabib.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

SBC REPLAY: Renato Moicano’s surge, UFC antitrust settlement, UFC 307 preview, more

On the latest episode of “Spinning back Clique,” we discuss Renato Moicano’s Paris win, UFC antitrust settlement, preview UFC 307, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Nolan King, Dan Tom, Brian “Goze” Garcia, and special guest John Nash will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC Fight Night 243 is in the books. The promotion’s trip to Paris, France saw lightweight contender [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] pick up a big win in the main event over [autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag]. Where does this win put Moicano in the division? How will his shoulder injury affect what’s next? What about Saint Denis? Where does he go from here after a devastating loss?
  • The UFC has reached a new settlement in its antitrust case. We welcome in guest John Nash, who has been following the case closely to discuss the latest developments. Is the $375 million settlement a surprise? Will the judge approve it? Is this better or worse for the fighters? Where does the case go from here? We discuss it all.
  • UFC 307 is here. UFC light heavyweight champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] faces [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] in the main event. In the co-feature, [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] puts her women’s bantamweight title on the line against [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag]. What are the chances we see one or two titles change hands? [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is also in action against [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]. Will a win get her the next title shot? What is the UFC doing with [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]? Does he have one more title run in him?

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