Renato Moicano wants to be one of the stars of the show when the octagon returns to Rio de Janeiro on May 4 for UFC 301, and he is expecting an “easy” fight that night.
Moicano meets Drew Dober in the co-main event of Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 85 event at the UFC APEX, his first bout since a first-round finish over Brad Riddell at Madison Square Garden in November 2022, and has a name in mind for his next opponent after that: Dan Hooker.
“I like UFC Brazil cards, not to mention they always bring easier opponents too,” Moicano said with a laugh on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast. “UFC always gives us easy fights for the fans to like, so let’s see.”
Moicano has fought four times in Brazil since joining the UFC, defeating Tom Niinimaki, Zubaira Tukhugov, and Damir Hadzovic. His only blemish on home soil came in a co-headlining clash in Fortaleza in 2019, when he lost by second-round stoppage to ex-champion Jose Aldo. “But then I was the easy fight [for Aldo],” he laughed.
“Every time there’s a card in Brazil, they want to see a Brazilian party,” Moicano added. “Aside from a fight between two Brazilians, it’s always a card favorable to Brazilians.”
Asked which “easy” opponents he would like to be paired up with for UFC 301 if he gets past Dober on Saturday, Moicano didn’t think twice.
“An easy ranked [opponent]? Dan Hooker,” Moicano said. “[Or] Bobby Green. Michael Chandler. But there’s no path to fighting Michael Chandler now, he’s fighting [Conor] McGregor. So I don’t know. But I’m not worried, I’m worried about fighting. Drew Dober is a tough opponent. I’ll beat him, and then someone will be ready to get beat at UFC Rio, and I’ll beat him.”
Hooker gave it a try as a featherweight in 2022 but then returned to 155 pounds and won two bouts in a row over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner. Moicano, however, isn’t counting on “The Hangman” agreeing to share the cage with him.
“He’s running too much. He’s run so many times,” Moicano said. “When Bobby Green beat Grant Dawson — which he wasn’t supposed to win anyway; not taking away his merits, it was pure luck — Dan Hooker went on Twitter, ‘You and I, Bobby Green. F*ck Moicano.’ He’s running, and he knows it.
“Jalin Turner, not to say that’s an easy fight, but his and Hooker’s body types are good for me. I’m tall, and their ground games are no good. Even though Jalin Turner is good on the feet and Dan Hooker beat him, those are good matchups for me. Let’s see.”
Regardless of who’s standing across the cage, Moicano knows he has to make the most of every second he has under the bright lights of the UFC, because “you can change your whole career with one fight.”
“I’m trying to attack from all fronts and show a bit more of my personality, and I believe it will bear fruits,” Moicano said. “A good speech after a win, an opponent that makes sense, something the UFC can’t deny. I’m chasing money, I’m chasing rankings, I’m chasing a career. A good win and imposing my narrative. Moicano deserves good fights. You have to be the complete package, and I’m planning on executing the plan Saturday, February 3.”
