“UFC called the wrong guy because I’m going over there and I’m beating him,” roared Renato Moicano as he asserted that he would defeat Benoit-Saint Denis in UFC Paris and that’s exactly what he did. On Saturday at the Accor arena, Moicano was all about ‘Money’ as he took the fight to the French ‘God of War.’ Moicano had done enough damage in the first two rounds that a doctor had to intervene and stop the match before the third as Saint-Denis was practically fighting with just one eye.

Howev͏e͏r,͏͏ ͏des͏͏͏pite͏ ͏hi͏s spec͏ta͏͏cu͏͏la͏͏r ͏͏p͏erf͏or͏͏man͏c͏e, ͏the ͏͏͏͏UFC͏ a͏nd Da͏na͏ ͏͏W͏h͏͏it͏e ͏d͏id ͏not con͏s͏i͏der ͏h͏i͏m͏ a͏͏ conte͏nd͏͏e͏r fo͏r t͏he ͏Per͏form͏anc͏͏e o͏f͏͏͏͏ t͏he ͏͏N͏igh͏t bon͏͏us.͏͏ T͏hi͏s ͏͏see͏m͏s t͏o ͏͏ha͏ve͏͏͏ i͏r͏ke͏d the͏ Br͏a͏͏͏z͏͏ilian ͏l͏͏͏͏i͏͏ghtw͏eig͏ht,͏ a͏s ͏he accuse͏d͏ ͏t͏he pr͏om͏oti͏on o͏f͏ ͏double͏ ͏s͏tandards͏.

Renato Moicano is disappointed with Dana White and Co. as he gets snubbed again for POTN

A heartbroken Renato Moicano took to his X-handle to express his disappointment, “So beating a France in Paris main event with a 10-8 first round doesn’t get you a bonus #ufc What do you guys think ?!”  The Brazilian hasn’t won a Performance of the Night (POTN) bonus in over six years, despite finishing his opponents back-to-back.

Benoit Saint-Denis came into both of his last fights as the betting favorite. BSD had a strong opening round against Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 but the story took a complete turn in the Ville Lumiere. Renato Moicano caught one of the Saint-Denis’ left low kicks to secure a takedown. The Brazilian then secured the mount and did most of the damage for the rest of the round.

Moicano also threw a heavy elbow which cut open Saint-Denis’s right eye. After the carnage of the opening round, it was sure that this match would not go the distance. The Frenchman showed signs of life in the second, landing more strikes and winning the round on the scorecards. However, his face was a bloody mess, forcing referee Marc Goddard to consult the cage-side physician. And that was the end of it.

Moicano dominated the former French Special Forcer member in a manner that no one could have foretold. So it was surprising to see him snubbed for a bonus, yet again. In his last outing at UFC 300, he came back from the verge of a first-round loss to stop Jalin Turner in the second. What more should he do to get an extra $50K?

Renato Moicano has won six out of his last seven fights, most of which has come by way of a finish. It appears that the Brazilian is getting closer and closer to a title fight despite him being more interested in ‘Money.’ So, what’s next for Moicano? Let’s find out.

Can ‘Money’ Moicano leverage his position against the UFC?

With six dominant victories in his last seven bouts, Renato Moicano is in a position where he has the steering wheel of his career under the promotion. ‘Money Moicano’ has a finishing rate of 60% and his last few performances are a testament to it. However, is it good enough for the promotion to provide him a shot at the undisputed lightweight gold? Arman Tsarukyan is next in the line for the 155 lbs gold and after him is Charles Oliveira. So, what’s next for Moicano?

Well, it appears that the Brazilian fighter has no intention of fighting for the gold rather he would like to fight legacy fights. After his victory against Benoit-Saint Denis at UFC Paris, Moicano took the mic to call out Paddy Pimblet as well as Dan Hooker, “Next, I want easy money. Paddy Pimblett, easy money. Dan Hooker, easy money. Don’t come up with bullsh*t fights. Don’t come up with guys that are tough. I want easy fights. I just beat a hell of an athlete everybody was talking about, Benoit Saint-Denis. But guess what, Money Moicano is the man tonight.”

Both Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker are riding winning streaks and a match against one of them appears to be palpable for Renato Moicano. The promotion might consider scheduling a match between Moicano and Pimblett in the future considering the fact that the British fighter is looking to get ahead at the ranking table. Regardless, what’s your take on UFC Paris? State your thoughts in the comments below.