Despite losing, Renato Moicano impressed us all by taking on the fight against Islam Makhachev on two days’ notice, after Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of UFC 311. It was a true display of courage and ‘Money’s desire to fight for the lightweight belt. But in just over 4 minutes into the fight, the Dagestani champion took control of Moicano’s destiny and forced him to submit with a D’Arce choke. Now, nearly five months later, Moicano still seems upset about the loss.

Following the defeat at UFC 311, the 36-year-old Brazilian stated that he was very sad about it. Tapping out in the first round for a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is nothing short of humiliating. Expressing his resilience and claiming that he isn’t done; in case he gets the chance to fight Makhachev again, he’d give it his best yet again. Despite losing, however, Moicano received a base pay of $250K, which was $50K more than that of the lightweight champion. But little did he know that this number would lead him to lose control at the UFC 317 pre-fight press conference. 

At the International Fight Week, Moicano is set to battle Beneil Dariush. First scheduled for UFC 311, Moicano being roped for the main event in on short notice after Arman Tsarukyan pulled out led to the cancelation of their bout in January. But when a reporter reflected on Moicano’s paycheck for the UFC 311 loss, ‘Money’ seemed irritated. The reporter asked, “Renato, you told us yesterday that you made a lot of money from that fight with Islam Makhachev. But 2 back-to-back losses at this stage of your career, would you say-”

Moicano cut him short and stated. He asserted, “What the f— you say, my brother! Don’t say losses to ‘Money’ Moicano. I only lost to the best. And my f—— account, Dariush is not the f—— best. Are you comparing Dariush to Islam Makhachev, my brother?” The Brazilian continued, “This is ‘Money’ Moicano time. Back in the day, I could afford to lose. You know why? Because they pay f—— in Bitcoin. Now, they try to pay me in dollars. So, I need to win.” 

Of course, Renato Moicano was leaning into his ‘Money Moicano’ persona and used the opportunity to convert a potentially challenging press conference moment into a statement. And to his credit, fans acknowledged the fact that for that date, his training camp was focused on an entirely different opponent. But with the setback, came important lessons, which ‘Money Moicano’ acknowledged. Let’s see what he said.

Renato Moicano reveals the problem he faced against Islam Makhachev

Following the battle against Makhachev, Renato Moicano took to his YouTube channel and broke the fight down. He recalled doing well at the start of the fight. This was because he was prepared for a fight with Beneil Dariush, where ‘Benny’ does a lot of his work on the feet. He knew that it’d be hard to take Dariush down and control him on the ground. But when the last-minute change was announced, there was no time to adjust to a man like Islam Makhachev.

Moicano said, “I’m gonna move a lot and punch him, that’s what I did with Islam Makhachev. I was in a good stance, I was catching him with some punches, with some left hands, with the right hand. I was feeling very well, and I think that was one of the problems. The crowd started to boo, and I said, ‘Man, I have to get back on the feet because I’m doing very well on the feet’. That was the problem.”

From the time the fight hit the ground, Renato Moicano was doomed, especially owing to his lack of preparation for someone like Islam Makhachev. Makhachev took him down, and Moicano put him in half-guard. The top pressure, and diagonal control of Makhachev proved too much for Moicano, who tried to create space with his legs, come up to sit-up guard, and eventually use the turtle position to stand up. But this was the soon-to-be former lightweight champion’s territory, and he sensed the moment, establishing a head-and-arm control from the front headlock position. What followed was a signature D’arce and quick tap out by Moicano.

What do you think will happen at UFC 317? Will Renato Moicano find redemption? Let us know in the comments down below.