Renato Moicano is not afraid to strike with Drew Dober, who has the most knockout wins in lightweight history, at UFC Fight Night 235.
LAS VEGAS – The UFC Fight Night 235 co-main event between [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] and Drew Dober might look like a striker vs. grappler matchup on paper, but at least one side doesn’t consider it as such.
Despite Dober (27-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) entering Saturday’s lightweight bout at the UFC Apex (ESPN+) with the most knockout victories in UFC lightweight history, Moicano (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) thinks he has the advantage on the feet, on top of an even more clear gap in grappling skill.
“I’m not taking it easy on him – I don’t think he’s an easy fight,” Moicano told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 235 media day. “But I think I’m better than him. I think I’m more well-rounded. I think I can strike with him on the feet. Probably he has more power than me on the hands, right? Knockout artist. But at the end of the day, I think I’m even better than him on the striking. No disrespect to him, but I will beat him on Saturday.”
Moicano, 34, has won three of his past four fights, but he hasn’t competed since a first-round submission of Brad Riddell at UFC 281 in November 2022 due to injury. He considers himself as a formidable task for anyone at 155 pounds, however, he wants to get past this career-long layoff before making any bold claims about the future.
“It really depends how I finish the fight, how the fight goes, what happens, who is interviewing, who is on the mic,” Moicano said. “I have to wait because I don’t have anything planned (for the future).”
The best facts about UFC Fight Night 235, which features the return of Drew Dober, who has the most KO wins in lightweight history.
The UFC kicks off its February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 235, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.
A pair of middleweights looking to take a big next step in the rapidly-evolving division meet in the main event. [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) will battle in a five-round bout that will see both sides look to claim their first headlining win inside the octagon.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC Fight Night 235.
The commentary team for UFC Fight Night 235 on Saturday is set, including Laura Sanko’s first appearance cageside this year.
The UFC opens its February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 235, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there in “Sin City” to help guide viewers through the experience.
Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 235 event in Las Vegas.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 235 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC Fight Night 235 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC Fight Night 235 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
With Lerone Murphy out, Andre Fili steps in on three weeks’ notice to fight Dan Ige at UFC Fight Night 236.
Veteran featherweights [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] are expected to square off Feb. 10 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Following the withdrawal of Lerone Murphy from UFC Fight Night 236 due to injury, Fili (23-10 MMA, 11-9 UFC) slides into the opening opposite Ige (17-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC).
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the change, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Fili, 33, has won two of his most recent three fights. In December, he notched his first finish since 2019 when he stopped Lucas Almeida with strikes in Round 1 at UFC 296.
Ige, 32, aims to bounce back from a September loss to Bryce Mitchell by unanimous decision. The defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak that included victories over Damon Jackson and Nate Landwehr.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 235 lineup includes:
“This is a Fight Night. Nobody gives a sh*t about Fight Nights,” UFC lightweight contender Renato Moicano explains of his next bout.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] understands why there are so many shows at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but that doesn’t make him any more excited to fight there.
For his first few UFC fights, Moicano (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) used Portuguese-language interpreters for his interviews. But when a microphone was put in front of his face at UFC 271 in February 2022 after his win over Alexander Hernandez, magic happened in the form an expletive-filled rant.
Moicano nailed both of those moments and parlayed the attention that came with it. He launched the Money Moicano YouTube channel, which has gained over 21,000 subscribers to date. Moicano explained that his quick-witted, humorous takes on situations around the world is organic and not pre-planned, in the same way his in-cage interviews are off-the-cuff.
“I don’t think about it at all,” Moicano recently told MMA Junkie. “After the fight, I usually get so emotional because people who don’t fight cannot understand how hard it is to go through the training camp and the dieting and all that stuff. So when you go over there and everything went well and you have a great performance, (it’s hard to explain) how happy you are.
“Definitely my best days are after I win. When you win, you feel like you’re on top of the world. I don’t actually plan nothing. I just speak my mind, and it happens like in my last fight when I was thinking a lot about money. That’s why I was talking a lot about money. Moicano wants money. But that was not something I planned. I just speak my mind.”
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Known for his post-fight promos on the microphone, Moicano admits things could land a little bit differently with intimate audience rather than a full arena should he beat [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] (27-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) on Feb. 3 at UFC Fight Night 235.
“This is a Fight Night. Nobody gives a sh*t about Fight Nights,” Moicano said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the co-main event, main event, or the prelims. Who gives a f*ck? It’s just a sh*tty way to put UFC on ESPN. So hey, Dana White, I’d rather be on UFC 299. But I don’t make the rules. I’m an employee. Feb. 3, I will beat Drew Dober. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the Apex. Nobody likes the Apex, my brother. You can ask anybody. The fans hate the Apex. The fighters, I’m pretty sure they don’t like the Apex, too.”
“… “I know the UFC has so many fighters right now and have to make so many fights. It makes sense for the Apex and ESPN. If you’re asking me if I’m happy to fight at the Apex, no way, brother. No way. Imagine UFC 299 in Miami, a lot of people, you have a great performance and then you can talk in a mic with a great guy like Joe Rogan or even Michael Bisping, DC, and you can express yourself.”
Whether there are 100 people or 10,000 people on-hand to watch his fights, Moicano said the most important thing is handling business. With money on the mind, Moicano expects victory Feb. 3 in Las Vegas.
“The Apex is going to be different, but Moicano is business,” Moicano said. “I’m going over there with the business mind. I have to beat Drew Dober, get my double checks and look forward at who is available and make statements. Like it or not, I’m fighting at the Apex on Feb. 3. With a crowd, without a crowd, I have to make money. Feb. 3, I will make that money.”
Randy Brown vs. Muslim Salikhov was abruptly canceled during UFC 296 fight week in Las Vegas. Now, it’s back on.
Less than one month after it suddenly fell through, [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] is back on the UFC schedule.
The welterweight bout now takes place Feb. 3 at UFC Fight Night 235. The event is set for the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The bout was first posted by UFC broadcast partner ESPN.
Brown (17-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) vs. Salikhov (19-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was initially slated for Dec. 16 at UFC 296 in Las Vegas. However, Brown withdrew with an undisclosed illness midway through fight week.
Now with the fight back on, Brown looks to continue momentum from a June victory over Wellington Turman by unanimous decision. Salikhov looks to turn his luck around, coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Nicolas Dalby in June.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 235 lineup includes:
Flyweight Charles Johnson has stepped up to replace the injured Nate Maness at the first UFC event in February.
Flyweight [autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag] is out of his scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night 235.
Maness (15-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was set to meet undefeated Azat Maksum on Feb. 3, but an injury has forced him out of the bout. As a result, Charles Johnson will step up to face Maksum (17-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at the event which takes place at the UFC Apex.
Verbal agreements are in place for the new matchup, with contracts expected to be signed soon. Three people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the change, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Johnson (13-6 MMA, 2-4 UFC) will look to right the ship early in 2024 after winning one of four bouts in 2023. “InnerG” started off the year with a TKO win over Jimmy Flick, but then lost decisions to Ode Osbourne, Cody Durden and Rafael Estevam.
Maksum made his UFC debut in July, when he picked up a split decision win over Tyson Nam to keep his professional record unblemished.
Maness will have to wait until he is healed from the undisclosed injury before building off of a first-round TKO finish against Mateus Mendonca in October.
Check out the UFC’s official schedule for the first quarter-plus of 2024 including new locations and venues.
With its 2023 campaign finished, the UFC turns its attention to the new year.
At a seasonal news conference Thursday at MGM Grand Garden Arena, the promotion announced its schedule for the first three-and-a-half months in a video highlight package.
The list confirmed many of the previously reported events, but it also revealed a handful of locations and venues that were not official prior.
Scroll below to see the UFC’s official early 2024 schedule:
