Renato Moicano’s win over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris was one of the more impressive of his career.
And it seems that the Brazilian’s victory may have been even tougher than initially thought as he confirmed that he suffered a gruesome shoulder injury during the fight. It appears that somewhere between the first and second round that he hurt himself, but he managed to persist and find a win.
The victory is his fourth in a row, and will likely see him move up the rankings at lightweight within the UFC. And he immediately used his time on the microphone after the fact to call out long-time rival Paddy Pimblett as well as highly-ranked Dan Hooker.
- Who is Paddy Pimblett? Get to know the ‘baddy’ of MMA who is making his presence felt in UFC
Renato Moicano lands impressive win over Benoit Saint-Denis in UFC Paris main event
Throughout fight week, Renato Moicano has played the villain in Paris. The returning French hero Benoit Saint-Denis was much more popular with the home crowd, and that was clear at the Accor Arena after a night that had been fairly even for local fighters.
While the Brazilian is known to start fights somewhat slowly, he fired out of the traps early as he pounced on Saint-Denis and set a blistering pace. He landed an impressive takedown and also appeared dominant on the feet throughout the first.
He almost had the stoppage on a few occasions in round one, with all three judges scoring it a rare 10-8 in his favor. And while he slowed in the second, that dominance did continue as he continued to injure his rival’s eyes and land big shots from the top.
At the end of the second round, the doctors were called in to take a look at the home fighter’s eye injury. And they were forced to call the fight, much to the annoyance of supporters and even commentator Michael Bisping.
Renato Moicano suffered horror injury during UFC Paris victory
In the aftermath of Moicano’s win, it was revealed to veteran combat sports reporter Kevin Iole that he had suffered what looks to be a broken shoulder during the fight. It is unclear which sequence exactly led to the issue, but the bulging bone can be seen when re-watching sequences in the second round.
Iole shared exclusive photographs to social media and on his website showing the severity of the injury to readers. One photo shows Moicano in hospital, with his back to camera and the injury very visible, while another shows an x-ray of what happened.
However, the pain didn’t seem to dampen Moicano’s enthusiasm for his next outing during the post-fight press conference. Asked when he planned to be out again, the ecstatic fighter very quickly replied: “As soon as possible.”
In a statement on X following the fight, he wrote: “I hurt my shoulder 3 weeks ago… but I couldn’t pull out of a main event… Thank you my team for helping me training like that get me ready for the fight.”
Will Renato Moicano’s injury affect Paddy Pimblett fight?
The big talking point following UFC Paris was Moicano’s outlandish post-fight interview. He first went on a lengthy rant about the French government and president Emmanuel Macron, before naming Pimblett and Hooker as his next two targets.
“Next, I want easy money,” Moicano told Bisping in one of his trademark explosive interviews. “Paddy Pimblett, easy money. Dan Hooker, easy money. Don’t come up with bulls*** fights. Don’t come up with guys that are tough.
“I want easy fights. I just beat a hell of an athlete everybody was talking about, Benoit Saint Denis. But guess what, Money Moicano is the man tonight.”
However, if the injury he suffered is as bad as he claims, then he may have to wait in order to get that big name fight. Pimblett had teased one more fight this year, particularly if his rival were to win, but this may put paid to those plans.
- Who is Dana White? All you need to know about the CEO and President of the UFC
Related Topics