Renato Moicano and Dan Hooker have agreed to an “easy money” matchup against one another.
Last weekend, Moicano earned a big win over Benoit Saint-Denis in the UFC Paris headliner, pummeling the ‘God of War’ in the opening round so badly that the cageside physician was forced to step in and suggest the bout be stopped immediately following the second stanza. It was a big moment for ‘Money Moicano.’
And then he got his paycheck.
With the event taking place in France, Moicano was subject to a significantly higher tax rate than what he would have been hit with competing stateside. After expressing his frustration over the taxation, Dan Hooker chimed in and suggested that Moicano used a similar excuse for ducking a fight against him in Perth, Australia.
Moicano denied that he was ever offered the fight, but suggested the two lightweight contenders can settle things in Las Vegas later this year. It didn’t take long for ‘The Hangman’ to accept.
Renato Moicano frustrated by UFC ranking following dominant win in paris
After dropping four out of five between 2020 and 2022, Dan Hooker has seen somewhat of a career resurgence inside the Octagon. ‘The Hangman’ has won three straight fights, including a pair of big decision victories over Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot. As a result, Hooker is now sitting as the No. 5 ranked contender in the lightweight division and could be one big win away from a shot at the division’s top dog, Islam Makhachev.
Meanwhile, Renato Moicano has won four in a row. Before stepping into the UFC Paris main event, ‘Money’ was just outside the lightweight top 10 at No. 11. Despite his dominant performance in The City of Light, Moicano is still ranked at 11 — something he was understandably frustrated by.
“That’s the first time I see somebody destroy their opponent and don’t get up on the rankings… I guess MMA journalists love macron too,” Moicano wrote on X.