The aftermath of UFC Paris continues to rope in bad news for Renato Moicanao. First, the Brazilian fighter broke the news about high taxation, which significantly reduced his earnings. Despite having a powerful showing in the main event against Beniot Saint-Denis, Moicano remains at the number 11 rank in the lightweight division.
Moreover, Benoit Saint-Denis hasn’t gone down in the rankings from the 12th position either. This weird turn of events has infuriated the Brazilian star, who originally expected to break into the top 10. Unfortunately for him, a dominant win like that has gone in vain in terms of rankings. This bizarre twist of fate has definitely rubbed him the wrong way as he unloaded his frustration to expose biased rankings.
I didn’t move up, but Beniot Saint-Denis didn’t move down too. And I remember, before he beat Matt Frevola, he was not at the rankings. At the time, the only good fighter he had beat was Thiago Moisés. And then he knocked Frevola (Matt Frevola) out. Frevola was number 15 and then he jumped to number 11, my brother. How crazy is that? He was outside the ranking and then he jumped up to number 11, the number where I am right now.
Renato Moicano via his official YouTube channel
The matter of ranking hypocrisy has gone viral. A few months back, UFC CEO Dana White started arguing with media members over his argument of Jon Jones as the P4P No. 1 fighter. Now, Moicano is upset with what happened. Even the rankings became a controversy after Max Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje. However, he did not take Gaethje’s ranking as is usual in the UFC.
Renato Moicano is enjoying a four-fight win streak, setting him up for a top-10 showdown. In his octagon interview, the Brazilian dropped bombs against Paddy Pimblett, Democracy and French President. However, the celebrations ended when the rankings came out. Not only Moicano but also others have raised their eyebrows in the rankings.
Matt Brown baffled by Renato Moicano’s ranking snub
Recently, veteran UFC fighter Matt Brown took to X to throw his support behind Moicano over the ranking snub. He reiterated the same thoughts that the Brazilian expressed in his YouTube video. Brown stated that if BSD had won the fight, he would have broken into the top 10. He even questioned the merits of individuals who maintain the rankings.
‘The Immortal’ has been through the trenches and knows the importance of getting a finish in UFC. A good win can dictate where you will land in the rankings in the following week. Fighting in the top 10 can bring you closer to the world championship match-up, improving your revenue. It remains to be seen if Moicano gets a top-10 opponent next.
Wait what??? If BSD won he was getting top ten ranking for sure. Who the hell is making these rankings? https://t.co/sfP39bugzt
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) October 1, 2024
Even the UFC CEO Dana White shared the same opinion expressed by Brown and Moicano. In an interview with Kevin Iole, White suggested the use of AI to avoid such blunders. Bizarre things have happened before in the UFC. With Moicano really angered by the MMA media, it remains to be seen whether White will go all the way and implement AI use in the future.
