Off the back of his impressive TKO win over French contender, Benoit Saint-Denis, surging favorite, Renato Moicano has called for a title-eliminator with former interim champion, Justin Gaethje next — vowing to knock out the Arizona favorite if they share the Octagon together.
Moicano, who remained at number eleven in the official lightweight rankings off the back of his doctor’s stoppage TKO win over Nimes native, Saint-Denis at UFC Fight Night Paris last month, turned in his fourth consecutive win at 155lbs — landing his third finish in his four most recent fights.
Adding Saint-Denis to a slew of recent wins over Jalin Turner, Drew Dober, and Brad Riddell, Moicano initially called for a high-stakes pairing with promotional-perfect contender, Paddy Pimblett following his win in France, however, has now staked his claim for a pivotal pairing with former interim lightweight kingpin, Gaethje.
Renato Moicano vows to knock out Justin Gaethje if they share the Octagon next
“I would beat Justin Gaethje, I don’t care,” Renato Moicano told MMA Fighting during a recent interview. “I don’t really care. He could be the baddest guy on the planet, the ‘BMF’ and stuff, but I don’t care. I’m not losing. If they [the UFC] send me contract, I will knock him the f*ck out. I’m telling you.”
“I’m not going to say I’m not going to shoot for a takedown because I will, but I will try to knock him out, too,” Renato Moicano explained. “Ground-and-pound. Standup. I don’t care.”
Himself sidelined since he featured on the main card of UFC 300 earlier this year, former interim lightweight titleholder and symbolic BMF champion, Gaethje was stopped with a brutal, buzzer-beating knockout by former featherweight kingpin, Max Holloway — who returns at the end of the month in a UFC 308 championship clash against the unbeaten, Ilia Topuria.