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‘MONEY’ MOICANO FOCUSED MORE ON VICTORY THIS WEEKEND
Brazilian Lightweight Keen To Right The Ship Against Chris Duncan On Saturday
Renato Moicano has been itching to get back into the Octagon and get things moving in the right direction again after an eventful, but ultimately frustrating, year.
Originally scheduled to face Beneil Dariush at UFC 311 in Los Angeles, the Brazilian lightweight veteran was drafted into a championship pairing with dominant titleholder Islam Makhachev on the day before the event after anticipated challenger Arman Tsarukyan suffered a late injury. After falling to Makhachev by first-round submission in January, the pairing with Dariush was put back together for UFC 317 in Las Vegas, and after a strong first round, the fight got away from the engaging Brazilian veteran.
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“He got a takedown in the second round, and I got a little tired, and then it was hard for me to pull the trigger,” Moicano said of the loss to Dariush. “It sucks, but it happens.
“This is the next opportunity that came up,” he added. “I was waiting, I wanted to fight in Brazil —that didn’t happen —and then the UFC is so busy with all the fights and all the fighters that I think (this is just how it worked out).”
Main Event Preview | UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Duncan
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Main Event Preview | UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Duncan
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His return was expected to come a month earlier in a rematch against Brian Ortega that was set to serve as the co-main event for UFC 326. The two had faced off more than eight years earlier when they were ascending, undefeated featherweight hopefuls, with Ortega collecting a third-round submission win in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors at UFC 214.
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But towards the end of January, the multiple-time featherweight title challenger was forced to withdraw, resulting in Moicano’s 2026 debut being pushed back a month and shuffled to this weekend’s main event slot.
“I didn’t stop the camp,” began Moicano. “I took it easy on the training for a week, and then I got back to sparring and everything. I wanted to fight in March against Ortega, but again, it is what it is, and then I got Chris Duncan here in Vegas. Let’s do it!”
Moicano’s “not much you can do about it” approach to the Ortega fight falling through and his ultimately spending nine months on the sidelines since his last appearance extends to his perspective on facing another member of American Top Team’s lightweight ranks.
Given that there are seven lightweights that train with the world-class South Florida fight team who are either ranked (Mateusz Gamrot, Moicano), within arm’s reach of the rankings (Duncan, Grant Dawson, Mateusz Rebecki), or tenured veterans in the UFC (Edson Barboza, Thiago Moises), these types of situations are bound to occur from time-to-time as recent results and fight card options bring this weekend’s headliners into one another’s orbit.
“It is difficult; it is the first time,” Moicano said of facing a teammate. “But at the same time, everybody wants to win, everybody wants to win their next fight, and that’s what I want too.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
“Back in the day, we trained together a couple years ago, but I don’t remember the last time I trained with him; I think it was a long time ago,” he added.
While it’s the first time the Brazilian veteran has been in this position, it’s the second time in three fights for Duncan, who battled Rebecki in one of the more bloody and visceral battles of 2025. After dropping the first round on two of the three official scorecards, “The Problem” rallied to sweep the second and third rounds to claim the unanimous decision win.
Though he’s quick to praise his teammate and opponent’s toughness and talent, Moicano doesn’t see this weekend’s fight looking anything like Duncan’s epic clash with their American Top Team stablemate last August.
Renato Moicano: "May The Best Win"
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Renato Moicano: "May The Best Win"
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“He’s a very good striker, he has some good submissions; guillotines, arm triangles,” Moicano said of the 32-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series grad, who carries a four-fight winning streak and 6-1 mark inside the Octagon into his first main event opportunity this weekend. “He’s very good. He’s a tough fight.
MORE UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Fighters On The Rise | Duncan's Journey To Main Event
“I don’t wanna (have a long brawl),” he continued. “I think I’m more technical than him, I think I can do a different fight because Rebecki is small and he always fights like that. He is a dangerous fighter, but I think he’s a guy that is not supposed to be 155 —he’s too short —but he still manages to get good wins, to fight good fights. I think it will be different, but we’ll see.”
No matter how this one plays out, it has the markings of a bout that could produce a bonus-winning effort on Saturday, as both men are action-oriented and have a penchant for finishing fights.
While he agrees the chances of collecting a bonus are high in this one, and he’s excited that the value of those checks has doubled from last year, Moicano is focusing exclusively on chasing down a win this weekend; if he’s able to earn a bonus in the process, then that’s precisely what it is.
“It is!” he said emphatically regarding the bonus potential being high. “I think it is, but I’m not thinking about that. Good thing that the bonus went up, but at the same time, the win is more important, and I’m focused on that.”
Though it was undoubtedly a genuine answer, it felt a little uncharacteristic for a fighter who has famously adopted the nickname “Money Moicano” in recent years based on his public declarations about wanting to chase paydays.
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Sitting on a pair of losses and looking at a divisional landscape that is constantly shifting and rich with ascending talents can do that to you, but despite his laser focus on getting his hand raised, Moicano insisted he’s not feeling any additional pressure to perform this weekend.
“Not really —I’m not feeling too much pressure because at the end of the day, I do this because I love it, I love to compete, I love to fight, and I just want to have a good performance for myself,” he said. “Of course, I want to get the double check, and if I can, the triple check, but let’s see.
“I want to make money,” he added with a smirk. “I want to beat Chris Duncan and get another fight soon, but I’m not thinking about that. I need to beat Chris Duncan first, and this is a dangerous fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Duncan took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!