After his win at UFC 300, Renato Moicano expressed surprise at Paddy Pimblett‘s praise of his performance and indicated he would be open to a potential matchup with Pimblett in the future.
Renato Moicano was taken aback. He didn’t see Paddy Pimblett’s kindness coming.
After his UFC 300 victory over Jalin Turner, Moicano was quick to look ahead. There were plenty of potential fights on the horizon. Pimblett had called him out. Moicano’s response was fiery. A rivalry seemed to be brewing.
But then, something unexpected. In the days following his win, Moicano found himself toning down his comments about Pimblett. Why? The 29-year-old from Liverpool had been singing his praises after Saturday night’s fight.
“I was ready to trash talk Paddy,” Moicano confessed on The MMA Hour. “But then he said some really nice things about me. He congratulated me on the fight. Said it was a great fight for me. Someone sent me the video.”
The video in question? It was from Pimblett’s YouTube channel. He’d been reacting to all the UFC 300 fights, including Moicano’s second-round knockout of Turner.
Pimblett had been expecting a name drop. Bobby Green had just called him out after beating Jim Miller. But Moicano didn’t mention him. Pimblett seemed a bit let down. But he still had high praise for Moicano’s comeback from an early knockdown to clinch a win.
“Renato, where was the callout?” Pimblett asked. “I thought Moicano would mention me. But well done on the performance. It was really good. You did well to survive the first round and then finish him in the second. That was a top-notch performance by Moicano. Congrats, mate. Top 10 for you.”
“He’s a funny guy. Maybe me versus Moicano? That’d be a great season of The Ultimate Fighter. You never know. Could happen in the next few years.”
Will Pimblett get his wish? Moicano’s not against it.
But there’s a limit to Moicano’s goodwill towards Pimblett. Especially if they end up in the ring together.
“He said he wants to do The Ultimate Fighter, Moicano against Paddy. I’m not against that,” Moicano said. “I think it’d be really funny. So I won’t trash talk him too much.”
“But if he wants a fight, I’ll make it easy money, mate. I know you’re being nice. But remember, Moicano wants money. Trust in God. Everyone else, pay in cash.”
Moicano’s on a roll. Three wins in a row. He’s not sure what the UFC has planned for him, but he wants to keep busy. Ideally, he’d like to fight at UFC 301 in Brazil. But that might not happen.
“I’m ready,” Moicano said about the May 4 card. “I could fight tomorrow. I’m on a mission. I want to be in the top five this year.”
He’s open to fighting Pimblett later this year. But there are other options. Higher up in the lightweight division.
There are a few names he expects to hear soon. But Moicano wants to increase his star power along with his ranking.
“I’m in a weird place,” Moicano admitted. “I’ll be in the top 10, but I don’t know if they’ll give me Beneil Dariush or Dan Hooker. They don’t have the star power I need. I think I can be a star. I just need a few more fights.”
“If I keep fighting like this, keep talking like this, keep being honest, people will connect with me. My English will improve. I’ll be a big star in MMA. And not just in MMA.”