Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone as UFC Fight Night 154 blew the roof off Bon Secours Wellness Arena last Saturday night (June 22, 2019) in Greenville, South Carolina.
Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Allen Crowder, who was knocked out in just nine seconds by heavy-handed Jairzinho Rozenstruik (see it here). And Bryan Barberena, who was stopped in his tracks courtesy of a big knee from Randy Brown.
But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Renato Moicano.
Going into his headlining bout against Chan Sung Jung, Renato was looking to erase the memory of his knockout defeat to his idol, Jose Aldo. Plus, he was also looking to avoid back-to-back losses to avoid falling further down the Featherweight pecking order.
But, the Brazilian bomber didn’t even get the chance to break a sweat, as “The Korean Zombie” knocked him out in just under a minute after connecting with a clean right hook, sending him crashing to the canvas only to eat a few finishing blows (highlights). And just like that, Renato was on the receiving end of his first-ever multiple-fight losing streak after starting off his mixed martial arts (MMA) career 11-0-1.
“Thanks for the affection of all, yesterday I could not show how much I trained, but tomorrow is always a new day,” wrote Renato on Instagram. “Thank God for everything, we continue in the battle … Many thanks to the friends who cheer for me … This game will turn!!!”
Prior to his loss to Aldo, Moicano’s only defeat came at the hands of former title contender, Brian Ortega. Bouncing back nicely with wins over Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson, Moicano then dropped two straight to Aldo and now Jung. Again, those two men are killers, champions and former title contenders, so losing to them isn’t the end of the world. But at the end of the day, those are the types of wins you need on your resume if you want to punch your ticket to the big dance.
It wasn’t too long ago that Renato was in the title discussion as a potential fill-in for UFC 231 had anything happened to either Brian Ortega or Max Holloway. He was even a potential option to be next in line had he gotten a win over Aldo. Instead, Moicano finds himself staring at two straight knockout defeats.
It’s amazing how quickly things turn in the fight game, one day you’re a win away from a title shot, the next you’re trying to dig yourself out of a deep hole. But not all is lost for Renato. Now that he’s suffered adversity in his career, he can use this to fuel his comeback.
He is talented, only 30 years old, so he can bounce back if he can take a few pointers from his losses. Up next for Renato, I’d like to see him face off against Ricardo Lamas. “Bully” was last seen getting starched by Calvin Kattar at UFC 238 to suffer his third loss in last four outings. At this point, there isn’t anyone else that makes sense for Renato, who can’t be eying a top 10 foe in his next fight.
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