Athletes
Renato Moicano Wants Money And Respect
Lightweight Contender Renato Moicano Looks To Regain Momentum By Defeating Beneil Dariush At UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira On June 28
Renato Moicano has two goals for the remainder of his UFC career: to make money and to become a respected figure in mixed martial arts.
After the past six months, it's safe to say he's well on his way to achieving both.
Let’s start with his first objective: making money. One way to do that is to gain rapid popularity by cutting one of the greatest Octagon interviews of all time, and at UFC 281, he did just that, launching his trademark saying, “Moicano wants money.”
GET YOUR TICKETS: UFC 317 | UFC Nashville
A second, and far more challenging way, is to accept a fight against the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world on 24 hours’ notice. Originally scheduled to face Beneil Dariush at UFC 311, an opportunity arose to fill in for Arman Tsarukyan in the main event and challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. Moicano didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity.
The result didn’t go Moicano’s way, but the experience, and compensation, was worth the risk
“One thing I did wrong was when he took me down, I rushed too much to get back to the feet,” Moicano said reflecting on his fight with Makhachev. “I have to have more patience, especially in a five-round fight. That’s what I learned. You cannot rush things, especially with a guy that is really good.
“I got a lot of money. I’m happy. I’m not complaining. I had my opportunity. Unfortunately, I fell short. I could not get the win, but it is what it is. It’s life. You don’t always win in life, but you have to take advantage of the best opportunities.”
Order UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira
On to goal number 2: becoming a respected figure in MMA. If his 18 fights in the UFC haven’t gained him respect already, opening a gym in South Florida tailored to children and families surely will. Alongside former UFC bantamweight Marlon Moraes, Moicano opened Kingdom Martial Arts last month, providing kids an opportunity to start their mixed martial arts journey in a safe, welcoming environment.
“I want a place that I can bring my kids, family and friends, and sometimes MMA gyms, like American Top Team, are too competitive,” Moicano said. “This is not a place to bring your kids to play. That’s not a place to bring your wife or a friend that comes in from Brazil, so I want to create a safe environment for families to go and interact with each other and to train and learn about discipline and respect.
“I like to teach. I like to be at the gym, I like to meet new people. It’s like recharging the battery.”
Moicano will return to competition at International Fight Week’s premier event, UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliviera. His opponent? Beneil Dariush, the same fighter he was supposed to face in January before Tsarukyan withdrew from the main event.
FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads
Considering Moicano thought he was going to face Dariush up until he went to bed the night before their fight, training camp this time around was even easier since he already knew exactly how he needed to prepare.
Dariush enters Saturday’s clash on a two-fight losing streak, with those losses coming to the aforementioned Tsarukyan and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, who tries to reclaim gold in UFC 317’s main event. Before those setbacks, Dariush was riding an eight-fight win streak with wins over Mateusz Gamrot, Tony Ferguson and Drew Dober.
Despite Dariush’s recent performances, Moicano believes he’ll need to be at his best to secure a victory this weekend.
“Two jiu-jitsu guys with okay standup, okay striking,” Moicano said previewing their matchup. “Beneil Dariush probably has more power than me in the striking, but I’m a little more technical skill wise. I believe in my ground game a lot. I believe in my wrestling. I think I’m better in wrestling than him, so I see myself beating him up.
“He’s very dangerous, make no mistake. He just looks old but he’s good.”
UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 28, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags