Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping wanted to understand why the Paddy Pimblett- Renato Moicano fight had not been finalized yet and he wanted his answers coming from the horse’s mouth. So he asked Moicano on his podcast, who boldly claimed that the UFC was protecting the scouser from him.
A confident Moicano said,
“I don’t know how the f**k… Actually, I know why they didn’t make the fight.”
‘Money’ Moicano also claimed that he would destroy Pimblett like he had destroyed Benoit Saint-Dennis and the UFC didn’t want to risk that happening. BSD was on a four-fight win streak when the UFC fast-tracked him against Dustin Poirier.
Poirier took some punishment from the Frenchman in the first round at UFC 299 but then bounced back to beat the bejesus out of him to win the fight by KO/TKO in the second round.
BSD would then feature next at UFC Paris, where he would take on Moicano, only to be pieced up by ‘Money’. After a round of relentless striking from Moicano that would see BSD’s face being at the receiving end of countless punches, the match would have to be stopped by the doctor.
Moicano believes this has completely destroyed BSD’s prospects in the UFC, at least for now and that is not something they want happening to Pimblett.
“Because I would f**king destroy Paddy and they know it. And it’s not good business to promote an almost 36-year-old MF that would go over there, to England and beat a guy that could potentially be a poster boy. Because let’s be honest. Paddy Pimblett, he’s very funny. He has a good style and he’s not a terrible fighter.”
Moicano also claimed that he had heard rumors about Pimblett fighting BSD and asserted that it would be a good matchup for both of them but it would prove to everyone that he was right and the UFC didn’t want to risk their could-be star against him.
What’s next for Moicano?
With the Pimblett fight, all but on the shelf for Moicano, he now has to figure out where he wants to go next. And at 36, the only direction he wants to walk in is up. The #10 ranked UFC lightweight wants to watch the Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan fight at UFC 311 and challenge whoever walks out as the champion.
Moicano is fighting Beneil Dairush on the same card, and if he can put on a show for everyone to see, there’s no plausible reason why he can’t challenge for the title.
Afterall, #7 ranked light heavyweight Khalil Rountree gave champion Alex Pereira more of a fight than any of the former champions he had fought before. And he was given the opportunity despite Magomed Ankalaev being the #1 contender in the division.
Besides, the lightweight division has rivalries of its own going on. Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has announced his move to lightweight and called out Charles Oliveira for a fight.
Since Oliveira is next in line for the title shot, this would interrupt that fight. Now, assuming Topuria and Oliveira fight for the #1 contender spot next, this would leave the champion will quite a bit of time to fill before his next title fight.
This is where Moicano could come in and have his title shot.
2024-12-18 03:57:08