Renato Moicano wants another title shot, sadly predicts Ilia Topuria to win belt
UFC 317 fighter Renato Moicano spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his featured bout vs. Beneil Dariush on Saturday in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – It’d be deja vu for Renato Moicano if there wasn’t so much extra money in the bank.
For the second time in the calendar year, Moicano (20-6-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) sat before reporters at an official pre-fight news conference and fielded questions from reporters about his nearing fight vs. Beneil Dariush. At UFC 317 on Saturday, however, the fight will actually happen – barring any craziness.
“I used the same training partners. I used the same system,” Moicano said. “But I had more time and I focused more on my dieting, on my training. This camp was even better than the last one.”
Moicano found himself in an impromptu title fight in January when he slotted in opposite champion Islam Makhachev in a title fight made a little over 24 hours prior to the event. The change occurred when Arman Tsarukyan suffered a last-minute injury and the change left Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) without an opponent.
Despite the UFC 311 main event being a quick loss for him, Moicano is not discouraged or deterred – particularly because of the $1 million check that came his way as a result.
“It benefited me that I got a lot of money,” Moicano said. “I think that’s what I want and what I got. I got this opportunity and I was happy. Sometimes, life throws at you a challenge. I came up short. But now I have the chance to get back, to beat Dariush and to climb the rankings again, so I’m happy.”
Prior to their should’ve-been UFC 311 collision, Moicano verbally jabbed Dariush’s age and said he’d beat the “sh*t” out of him. However, a recent discovery, Moicano joked, devastated him and raised his internal bar as to what he needs to do Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“The difference is somebody told me he’s only 15 days older than me, so I have to kill him now,” Moicano said. “Because that means I was calling myself old the whole training camp. Saturday night, than can only be one old man standing. This is going to be me.”
With Makhachev en route to welterweight and a battle vs. champion Jack Della Maddalena, the path toward a title for Moicano might not be totally obstructed. However, Moicano doesn’t really care. He’s not about accolades. He’s about cashing checks, as his nickname indicates.
“I don’t care about rankings,” Moicano said. “I don’t care about anything. I want to fight for the belt someday again with better preparation. But that’s not up to me. I have to beat Beneil Dariush. I have to give a good speech to everybody. I have to bring more fans to my side. This is going to happen. I have to become more popular to fight for the belt. A lot of people think is a sport, but UFC is entertainment. They want to sell tickets. They want to sell merchandise. That’s the truth. That’s why I’m trying my best to be sellable.”
“… I still want to be on top. I still want more money, so you guys can expect somebody who wants to climb the rankings and get more money.”
