Moicano wants Paddy! – What’s next for Renato Moicano?
Renato Moicano shocked nearly everyone by battering France’s own Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris last night. Moicano completed the upset and proceeded to dress down the French government in France all with a broken shoulder. Seriously, check out the injury:
Incredible toughness! @mocainoufc fought second round of fight with severely damaged shoulder #ufcparis pic.twitter.com/DyyjUOmbTS
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) September 29, 2024
Moicano called out Paddy Pimblett. That may be the next option but there are other fighters out there that could make sense for Moicano. Let’s see what is on the table.
Paddy Pimblett and Renato Moicano: A match made in heaven
As insufferable as Paddy Pimblett can be, he can promote a fight. With his faithful following, he is sure to bring eyes, and more importantly money, to the table. Renato Moicano has built a great fan base in the past few years as well and with his win over Benoit Saint-Denis, that stardom is only rising.
Matchmaking is what the UFC has historically done best and these two larger than life personalities seems like destiny. Moicano has been calling for this fight for some time and it seems that the UK’s Pimblett is on board too. Now it’s just time to get the contracts signed and ready to go.
Making the right moves in the rankings
If we’re trying to get Renato Moicano closer to title shot, then the option would be Dan Hooker. Moicano even said so in his post fight speech at UFC Paris:
Renato Moicano talks about what's next for him: Dan Hooker or Paddy Pimblett
"I don't know how he's in the top 5 or top 6; that's unbelievable. If they want to give me a path to the title shot, then Dan Hooker is easy money. Imagine if I take him down."
"Paddy Pimblett is… pic.twitter.com/4xEhOUIRc2
— MMA.PROS.PICK (@MMAPROSPICK) September 29, 2024
Dan Hooker is coming off of a career best win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305. That win saw Hooker leapfrog his way in to the UFC lightweight division’s top five and put a target on his back. One such target comes from Moicano.
Hooker and Moicano have gone back and forth for a while but now that Hooker and Moicano are within proximity in the rankings, the timing seems right for a great fight between two fighters who always come out with a great fight every time they step foot in the cage.
Speaking of Mateusz Gamrot
My third option for Moicano would be Mateusz Gamrot. Gamrot is coming off of that aforementioned loss to Hooker at UFC 305 and is still ranked ahead of Moicano at eight. If Hooker turns down that fight, he and Moicano could put on a sleeper of a fight that could be a delight for fans.
Gamrot has his ADCC accolades and Moicano is, well, Brazilian. He was born with a BJJ purple belt. These two could go out and put on an incredible fun fight full of scrambles. What’s not to love about that?
