Brazilian star Renato Moicano had a dominant showing against French native Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris. The underdog is in fine form and has racked up a four-fight winning streak. During the octagon interview, Moicano had some choice words for the French government due to their globalist policies. Two UFC fighters also caught stray from the Brazilian star.
Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker were the two names mentioned in the Brazilian’s octagon interview. Moicano has referred to them as ‘easy money fights.’ Following the boastful remarks, Dan Hooker fired back. He made some accusations regarding a fight offered to Moicano for the UFC 305 PPV in Perth, Australia, this year.
Wasn’t that your excuse for ducking me in Perth?
Dan Hooker via X
Hooker and Moicano have had issues going back before the Brazilian fought at UFC 300. The Kiwi fighter picked Jalin Turner to defeat Moicano at the historic PPV event. Since then, Moicano fired back mocking Hooker for not finishing Turner in their UFC 290 main card bout. Snapping back at his adversary, Renato Moicano cleared the air about the bout never being offered.
Wasn’t that your excuse for ducking me in Perth? 😂 https://t.co/szLnFImbEJ
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) September 30, 2024
They didn’t offer the fight… but easy problem to solve… title fight eliminator in Vegas December #ufc https://t.co/2rizMfoser
— Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) September 30, 2024
Despite the fight not happening in Perth, the Brazilian offered an interesting solution for their predicament. He has offered to fight at UFC 310 in December for a potential title eliminator bout. On the flip side, Dan Hooker has established himself as a top contender by beating Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305. Nevertheless, Hooker also revealed one crucial detail about being offered a fight for the UFC Paris event.
Dan Hooker almost fought at UFC Paris instead of Renato Moicano
At the beginning of 2020, Dan Hooker looked like a future title challenger. However, it all changed when he fought Dustin Poirier during the COVID lockdown. He lost the bout and soon got starched by Michael Chandler at the beginning of 2021. Despite defeating Nasrat Haqsparat, he suffered brutal defeats at the hands of Islam Makhachev and Arnold Allen.
Dan Hooker (Image via Instagram)Fast-forward to 2023, Hooker outlasted Jalin Turner in a bloody war. In less time, Hooker turned his career around and now sits at Top 5 of the lightweight division. It turns out that UFC wanted the Kiwi star to be part of the annual event in Paris. However, ‘The Hangman’ had to turn it down, as UFC 305 was close to home. He revealed forcing UFC’s hand to fight near home for the first time since 2020.
Nothing beats being on the card with your brothers, like, isn’t it quite the stuff? So I just stood my ground, mate. I just said, ‘Nah’. They said you can wait for Beneil and they’ll do a main-event, or you can main-event the f***ing French guy (Benoit Saint-Denis). I’ve never heard of and I was like, ‘I want to fight in Perth.’
Dan Hooker via Submission Radio
When it comes to UFC Perth, @danthehangman wasn’t taking no for an answer! 😤 #UFC305
“Nothing beats the ANZAC crowd. The Aussies, the Kiwis, once they all get there. Nothing beats being on a card with your brothers…
they said, you can wait for Beneil and they’ll do a main… pic.twitter.com/YmNKhpPC8f
— Submission Radio (@SubmissionRadio) July 15, 2024
The UFC Auckland event was the last time where Dan Hooker fought in his home region of Oceania. Since the COVID started, the UFC has repeatedly returned to the region. However, he didn’t get to compete, whereas his teammates Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski fought and headlined the UFC events. As such, the Perth event in 2024 became a necessary event for Hooker to compete in.
