Renato Moicano is unhappy with his rank and the purse he returned with after UFC Paris. Moicano battered lightweight standout Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris (UFC Fight Night 243) en route to a second-round doctor stoppage TKO. Despite notching his fourth-straight win, he left without a bonus. Consequently, he also treads along the same rankings.
Going into the fight, Renato Moicano could not afford to lose like always. Moreover, he was content with the hype it would generate, facing such a name within the division. However, the utter domination was to mean something. Despite his impressive performance, Moicano is at #11 in the UFC lightweight rankings, something he resents.
I want to talk about everything that happened in France – But guess what…No bonus…fu*king high taxation…And I knew that. I knew they would [have] fu*ked up. Even on my Twitter, I say that.
Renato Moicano via his Official YT Channel (@moneymoicano)
No one expected Moicano to dominate BSD in the first round. The fight went smoothly in the second round, but the damage was too much to go on. The 35-year-old is now 7-1 since he moved up to the UFC lightweight division in March 2020. Moicano’s six-fight winning streak at lightweight is tied with Paddy Pimblett’s second-longest active streak in the division. It sets up a neat clash for the two.
Given the circumstances around the clash with Benoit Saint-Denis, Moicano became a bigger draw than ever. However, his best career win did not fill the biggest spot. The total payout for compliance with the UFC Promotional Guidelines for the event was $173,500. UFC Paris stars Morgan Charriere, Fares Ziam, Bryan Battle, and Chris Duncan earned $50,000, but not Moicano. He had much stuff to air on that.
Renato Moicano doubled down on shortfalls after win
Benoit Saint-Denis entered UFC Fight Night 243 intending to reestablish himself as a legitimate lightweight contender on his home turf. However, Renato Moicano had other plans as he went on to win the feature main event. A fight night win over the Frenchman berserker now puts him that close to the top spot. Yet, there are few deterrents to that.
Moicano had a feeling that this was going to be the case even before the rankings were updated. He had a tirade on X about why the majority of fighters above him don’t deserve their rankings. ‘Money’ Moicano thinks he should be ranked 6th, at the very least, and also dissed his bonus snub pinning it on non-domestic taxation.
Fuck France…. they taxed me very high 😂😂😂😂
— Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) September 29, 2024
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The fighter had lauded French culture but ripped the current regime and the Liberal Democratic culture of France after his win. Now, he yet again pokes the bear, saying members deciding global MMA listings might be fans of Emmanuel Macron as well.
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 #ufc #mma
— Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) October 1, 2024
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The full UFC Fight Night 243 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts along with outfitting partner Venum Sports saw Moicano as a high earner, at $16,000 as experience-based pay. Renato Moicano is also to receive perpetuity royalty payments for merch sold in his likeness, per the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers.
Other than what entails the Athlete Outfitting Policy, the UFC lightweight thinks his performance alone should have had a dazzling factor for a bonus. But there’s only so much the management can do on foreign soil and tax brackets. For reference, UFC Fight Night 242 stars Gilbert Burns and Jessica Andrade made $21,000 for entering as bigger stars, despite a loss. Who’s to blame for the money snub? ‘Money’ says France.
