Tag: Renato Moicano

Renato Moicano appalled by Paddy Pimblett’s weight gain between UFC fights: ‘Look how fat he is’

Renato Moicano thinks Paddy Pimblett is hurting his UFC career by drastic weight gains.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] is appalled by how quickly and how much weight [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] can put on in between fights.

The UFC lightweight contender thinks Pimblett’s weight management habits will be detrimental to his fighting career. Pimblett has been criticized by fans, fighters and pundits about his weight gain after his fights. Moicano was shocked to see a recent picture of Pimblett just three weeks after his win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 296.

“Somebody sent me this picture of this motherf*cker, Paddy Pimblett. Look how fat he is,” Moicano said on his YouTube channel. “I cannot believe how big he gets between fights. I’m not even joking. He fought Dec. 16, so less than three weeks my brother, and now he’s looking like an old retired fighter, my brother.

“It’s not only that time, it’s every time we see Paddy Pimblett. We see he fights, and he just becomes obese after the fights, and I think that’s going to be very detrimental for his career.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1kxiq7OWfm/?img_index=1

Pimblett, who like Moicano competes at 155 pounds, has shared before that he can get up to 200 pounds in between fights. Moicano thinks Pimblett’s weight can be affecting his cardio.

“If you’re training at 190, 185, too big in your training camp – remember, on fight day you can’t recover that much, and some people gas out,” Moicano said. “They’re so worried about the weight, you’re training so much, and you’re not thinking about fighting, you’re just thinking about weight loss.”

All in all, Moicano advises Pimblett to get stricter about his diet. He thinks Pimblett is not only jeopardizing his career, but also his life whenever he decides to retire.

“You have to be in shape, otherwise, you’re messing with your whole system,” Moicano said. “You should take care of your healthy brother. As a lightweight walking with 190, it’s not like it’s muscle, the guy is round, my brother. Look at his face. That’s never going to be a good thing, to gain that much weight and get that crazy fluctuation in weight.

“He definitely should consider joining a diet program. We have to remember that after our careers, we’re going to be regular people just living. If you’re doing that as an athlete, imagine when you stop fighting because 100 percent you’re not going to be training like you’re training today.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Dec. 4-10)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Dec. 4-10.

Renato Moicano set to face Drew Dober at February UFC Fight Night event

Exciting lightweights Renato Moicano and Drew Dober will clash at a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] is set to return to action, and he gets an exciting opponent.

On February 3, Moicano (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) will face the division’s knockout record holder [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] in a lightweight co-main event clash. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and is headlined by a middleweight matchup between Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov.

Moicano announced the signing of the bout on his YouTube channel. MMA Junkie then confirmed with another source with knowledge of the booking.

Moicano, 34, will return to action for the first time since a November 2022 submission win over Brad Riddell at UFC 281. Injuries have kept “Money” Moicano on the sideline, including the cancellation of a bout against Arman Tsarukyan in April.

Dober (27-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC), has made three appearances since Moicano last fought, going 2-1 in that stretch. Most recently, Dober stopped Ricky Glenn with strikes at UFC Fight Night 229, setting the lightweight knockout record.

With the addition, the current lineup on Feb. 3 includes:

  • Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Renato Moicano vs. Drew Dober
  • Thomas Petersen vs. Jamal Pogues
  • Luana Carolina vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Natalia Silva
  • Kiefer Crosbie vs. Themba Gorimbo
  • Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Blake Bilder vs. Jung Gyeong Lee
  • Charlie Radtke vs. Gilbert Urbina
  • Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. William Gomis
  • Diana Belbita vs. Molly McCann
  • Azat Maksum vs. Nate Maness

[lawrence-related id=2686334,2685437,2596096]

Jalin Turner fires back at Renato Moicano’s ‘corny’ callout: ‘You’re not Conor McGregor’

Jalin Turner slams Renato Moicano for calling him out.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] has slammed [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] for calling him out.

Turner (14-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) scored a first-round knockout of Bobby Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-10-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 co-headliner at Moody Center. Moments after the fight, Moicano posted on social media to issue Turner a challenge.

“Hey @danawhite I saw that co main event Renato Moicano vs @JalinTurner let’s keep this fight… first round KO… no injuries… congrats turner see you Feb…. #UFCAustin @ufc.”

Turner wasn’t amused by Moicano’s (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) callout.

“That fool’s been calling everybody out,” Turner told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “It’s all he do – call everybody out. Anybody that wins, he wants to call out. That’s annoying, bro. Stop doing that. I don’t know why these fighters keep doing that. It’s corny, bro. You’re not Conor McGregor. Stop trying to have everybody’s name in your mouth. That’s weird.”

Moicano was referring to a leaked image of the UFC’s “War Room” that showed the promotion’s plans to book Moicano vs. Turner at a Feb. 10 UFC Fight Night event. But after Dan Hooker was forced out of his bout against Green in this past Saturday’s event, Turner received the short-notice call.

Moicano hasn’t competed since submitting Brad Riddell in the first round in November 2022. The 34-year-old has won three of his past four, all by submission.

[lawrence-related id=2701093,2700995,2700949,2700337]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Renato Moicano gives predictions for Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Bobby Green vs. Jalin Turner

Check out Renato Moicano’s picks for UFC on ESPN 52.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] has his eye on this Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52.

The UFC lightweight contender knows the division could go under a major change depending on what happens in the main and co-main bouts of the card.

At the top of the bill, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] returns from his loss to former champion Charles Oliveira to fight rising contender [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]. It’s a big fight in the weight class and one Moicano sees Tsarukyan winning.

“Beneil Dariush, even though he’s getting kind of old, he still beat the new guy in the UFC, Mateusz Gamrot – a very good guy, very good grappler,” Moicano said on his YouTube channel. “Mateusz beat Tsarukyan. It’s so tough to choose. Some people are saying since Mateusz beat Tsarukyan, he (Dariush) will beat Tsarukyan, but I don’t think so. He has a good game to beat guys like Mateusz Gamrot, he’s a good wrestler, but when it comes to hold positions on the ground, he loses the position, that’s why he lost the fight.

“… I think Tsarukyan – even though his last fight against ‘Neto’ wasn’t his best performance, he almost got knocked out if you remember – I think he will beat Beneil Dariush shooting for takedowns and controlling on the ground. One thing that Tsarukyan does well is controlling people on the ground and throw elbows. I think that will be a huge factor on the fight. I can see this fight coming to a decision because Beneil Dariush is very tough, and he’s going to survive. But still, I think Arman Tsarukyan will beat Beneil Dariush in a decision.”

In the co-main event, [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] takes on short notice replacement [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag], who stepping in on two weeks notice to replace an injured Dan Hooker.

Moicano has questions about Turner’s weight given the short-notice nature of the fight, and whether or not the fight will go down. However, if the fight goes on with a weight miss or not, he’s going with Turner.

“In my opinion, I think Jalin Turner will beat Bobby Green,” Moicano said.
“Why? Because he’s too tall and has a good guillotine. I don’t think Bobby will shoot for takedowns, especially because of Jalin Turner’s frame, but he will have trouble with the reach of Jalin Turner. Jalin Turner is coming off two losses and didn’t make the weight against Hooker, fair enough. I wonder how he’s going to make weight. The weight for me was a factor to try to get the Bobby Green fight, because it would be hard to make 155 for me.

“I don’t know Jalin Turner. Maybe he’s even heavier than me and that could affect him in the weight cut and the fight. But still, if he doesn’t make the weight and they still fight, I think Jalin Turner will be better than Bobby Green.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Renato Moicano: Paul Craig is ‘f*cking terrible,’ would get destroyed by Bo Nickal, Khamzat Chimaev

Renato Moicano is not the least bit sold on Paul Craig.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] is not the least bit sold on [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag].

Craig (17-6-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) made his successful middleweight debut this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 224 at The O2 in London when he scored a second-round TKO of jiu-jitsu ace Andre Muniz.

Craig has finished all his professional wins – including stoppages of former champion Jamahal Hill, top contender Magomed Ankalaev, and Nikita Krylov. But Moicano isn’t a fan of “Bear Jew’s” style.

“Man, Paul Craig is terrible,” Moicano said on his YouTube channel. “I know you guys are going to roast me for saying that, but he’s f*cking terrible. Even his top position in the first round, he got reversed very easily. I think what happened in this fight is ‘Sergipano’ is a jiu-jitsu player, too, so he sat in the guard and stuff. But Paul Craig’s standup is terrible.”

Craig expressed interest in matchups against unbeaten grappling powerhouses [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag], but Moicano thinks neither would bode well for him at all.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvBNiYop7tG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

“Bo Nickal would destroy him,” Moicano continued. “Khamzat would destroy him. I know you guys like that kind of stuff, but let me tell you something, he’s terrible. I thought he would lose, and he was losing the fight. They got a scramble or something like that, I don’t remember what happened, but he got on top, and he won by TKO. But make no mistake, he’s terrible.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=2 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.

Renato Moicano shares hilarious take on ‘TUF 31’ contestant who cried in first episode

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a man missing his wife and kids, but Renato Moicano was having none of that.

In case you missed it, there was a tender moment on the first episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 31” this week when [autotag]Nate Jennerman[/autotag] introduced viewers to his lovely family.

Jennerman, a lightweight prospect out of Roufusport in Milwaukee, was selected to Conor McGregor’s team and matched up against UFC veteran Roosevelt Roberts in the first fight of the season. But before they threw down in the octagon, the show gave us a mini-profile on Jennerman, who got emotional when talking about his wife, 3-year-old son, and 6-month-old daughter back home in Sheboygan, Wisc. He was seen crying in the “TUF” house while looking at a picture of his family, which also includes a three-legged dog.

“The hardest thing is just not having my wife and my kids here,” Jennerman said. “I just miss my family a lot. I like to be around them.”

There’s nothing wrong with a man missing his wife and kids, but UFC standout [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] saw this and, well, he was having none of it. Check out his hilarious take on Jennerman clipped from his Twitch livestream (via Twitter):

“Ah f*ck, the guy’s crying on the f*cking first episode. F*ck you, my friend. This guy gonna lose. One day without the family, and the guy already crying. He ain’t about the life. First f*cking day you crying on show on TV? Look, his dog only had three legs, bro.”

It turns out Moicano may have been on to something as Jennerman did end up losing by 8-second knockout to Roberts.

“Money Moicano” or “Mystic Moicano”? 🤔

[lawrence-related id=2645639,2645650]

Renato Moicano injured, out of UFC Fight Night 223 main event vs. Arman Tsarukyan

The UFC needs a new headliner for April 29 after Renato Moicano withdrew from his lightweight bout with Arman Tsarukyan due to injury.

The UFC needs a new headliner for April 29 after [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] withdrew from his lightweight bout with [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] due to injury.

Moicano (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is out of the UFC Fight Night 223 main event against Tsarukyan (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), which was scheduled to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

MMA Junkie verified the news with two people close to the situation, who requested anonymity because the promotion hasn’t made an official announcement.

[lawrence-related id=2596457,2596096]

It’s unknown at this time if Tsarukyan will remain on the card against a new opponent or if the organization plans to insert a new headliner altogether.

Following the publication of this story, Tsarukyan’s manager Daniel Rubenstein, of Ruby Sports & Entertainment, expressed doubt a replacement could be found in time.

If he remains on the card, Tsarukyan, 26, will look to continue his momentum from a unanimous decision win over Damir Ismagulov at UFC Fight Night 216 in December. The upcoming would contest would also mark his second promotional main event. The first was a unanimous decision defeat to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC on ESPN 38 in June.

The latest UFC Fight Night 223 lineup now includes:

  • Arman Tsarukyan vs. opponent TBA
  • Caio Borralho vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Marcos Rogerio
  • Cody Brundage vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Ange Loosa vs. Josh Quinlan
  • Emily Ducote vs. Polyana Viana
  • Natan Levy vs. Pete Rodriguez
  • Brian Kelleher vs. Journey Newson
  • Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
  • Cody Durden vs. Charles Johnson
  • Julian Erosa vs. Fernando Padilla
  • Hailey Cowan vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
  • Irina Alekseeva vs. Stephanie Egger

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 20-26)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from March 20-26.

UFC books Arman Tsarukyan vs. Renato Moicano to headline April 29 event

Lightweight contenders Renato Moicano and Arman Tsarukyan are set to fight at the final UFC Fight Night event in April.

A lightweight headliner is on tap for the final UFC event of April.

A the UFC Fight Night event April 29, contenders [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will square off. While not officially announced, the card is expected to take place April 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The bout was first reported by MMA.Meta.

Moicano, 33, headlines for the second time in his UFC career. In 2019, he lost his first promotional main event to “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. He enters the April 29 bout after winning three of his most recent four. At UFC 281 in November, Moicano defeated Brad Riddell via first-round rear-naked choke and cut a viral promo on the microphone during his post-fight interview at Madison Square Garden.

Tsarukyan, 26, looks to continue his momentum from a unanimous decision win over Damir Ismagulov at UFC Fight Night 216 in December. The upcoming bout also marks his second promotional main event. The first was a unanimous decision defeat to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC on ESPN 38 in June.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 29 includes:

  • Renato Moicano vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Caio Borralho vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
  • Natan Levy vs. Pete Rodriguez
  • Brian Kelleher vs. Journey Newson
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
  • Cody Brundage vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Ange Loose vs. Josh Quinlan
  • Cody Burden vs. Charles Johnson
  • Julian Erosa vs. Fernando Padilla

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event April 29.