Athletes
How 'Money Moicano' Came To Be
Renato Moicano Explains The Shift In Priorities That Prompted A Change In Approach, Leading To A New Level Of Notoriety And Appreciation
For the first 10 years of his professional career, Renato Moicano stepped into the cage with the ambition of becoming the best fighter in the world; to chase UFC gold and to prove to himself that he was worthy of such a title, literally and figuratively.
Four years ago, his priorities changed.
“I keep telling people that the belt is always a goal, but it’s not my biggest goal,” said the affable Brazilian lightweight, who makes his second start of the year on Saturday night at UFC 300, facing off with Jalin Turner in a clash of Top 15 fighters positioned on the early prelims of the jam-packed card. “My biggest goal is for people to know me, because that way, I can get more money, get more popular, get stronger in the division, and eventually fight for the belt.”
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He says all this with a grin on his face and a custom-made hat perched on his head that reads “Moicano Wants Money,” and feels a little like the villain revealing the fine details of their plan to take over the world or steal nuclear launch codes to James Bond, believing 007 will soon perish and be unable to stop them.
But it’s also unquestionably the correct approach for the talented 34-year-old to take, and has already been paying dividends.
For the first five years of his UFC tenure, Moicano was a fixture in the featherweight rankings; a Top 15 mainstay with quality wins over Jeremy Stephens, Calvin Katter, and Cub Swanson, and whose only losses came against Brian Ortega, former champ Jose Aldo, and Chan Sung Jung.
He was then, as he is now, an excellent fighter, and yet most fans viewed him simply as another fighter that lived somewhere outside of title contention; a guy that was better than most, but wasn’t someone they really paid attention to, even on the nights when he was stepping into the Octagon.
He was a main card fixture, but never a main event fighter. He was in entertaining fights, but never did anything truly unforgettable. He was one of the skilled, talented athletes that many fans under-value because they don’t have gold over their shoulder, sign-off from the biggest names in media as someone they need to pay attention to, or a social media presence.
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In early 2020, his son was born, and his motivations shifted.
“Nowadays, I think about my family — about their well-being, what’s gonna happen after my fighting career,” said the proud father. “I’m not trying to retire any time soon, but I have less days to compete. I will turn 35 (this year), and I’m not gonna fight until 40, 42 like some of these guys, but I still feel competitive, strong.
“I feel this is my last shot, the time to go — to make the most money I can in the UFC. It’s a business and I want the fans by my side. I want the UFC happy with me putting my name out there, fighting every contender, being funny, being the way that I am; a very good fighter that shows up, tries his best.
“I want the biggest fight, the biggest opportunity, the biggest money possible.”
Renato Moicano | Rear Naked Choke Artist
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Renato Moicano | Rear Naked Choke Artist
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While the shift in focus coincided with the birth of his son, it didn’t become a public thing until after his win over Alexander Hernandez at UFC 271 in Texas.
Speaking with Daniel Cormier following the victory, Moicano barely let the fighter-turned-analyst get a word in, praising his coaches, appealing to the crowd in Houston and declaring, “Moicano wants money!”
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He’s maintained that position — and created merch espousing it — ever since, branding himself “Money Moicano” in the process, and since doing so, his profile has exploded.
Outside of changing divisions and becoming more vocal, more declarative about what he wants from his career, the American Top Team representative remains in the same position he was during the first five years of his career: living comfortably in the Top 15, engaging in entertaining fights against talented opponents, and winning most of them.
He’s just a little louder now, and it has sent his profile skyrocketing.
“Of course I want the belt, but my priorities changed in the last four years,” he said, reiterating his point. “People keep asking me, ‘Why do you want money? Money is not that important.’ One hundred percent money is important — it’s not the most important thing in the world, but it makes things easier. I can be at home. I can be with my wife and my son. I can have a better home.
“It’s all about community, family, having a stable home. It’s about holding yourself accountable because now I have a family and I have to take care of them, so I have to do everything that it takes to take care of them. Once I realized that, my life changed, and now I have a goal: I have to make money and have a stable and good house.”
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That shift in focus has brought out the more engaging, more boisterous side, which has resonated with the audience, a fact made evident by his inclusion on this weekend’s fight card.
UFC 300 was already stacked with competitive, intriguing matchups and marquee names, but like Danny Ocean, the UFC believed they needed one more, adding the bout between Moicano and Turner to the slate for Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Being a part of a card like this isn’t happenstance. It’s not being in the right place at the right time. Each bout has been individually selected, this card has been curated, to make it the most exciting collection of bouts, on paper, that the UFC has ever put together, and fans geeked out when “Money Moicano” was added to the mix.
“I wanted the fight a long time ago,” the Brazilian said of the matchup with Turner, who closed out 2023 with a first-round knockout win over Bobby Green and currently sits at No. 10 in the lightweight rankings, three spots ahead of Moicano.
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“I think Jalin Turner is one of the best strikers in the division, he has a solid ground game, a good guillotine; it’s hard to take him down. I saw how much (Matt) Frevola struggled to take him down, how much Mateusz Gamrot struggled to take him down. Dan Hooker struggled to strike in the first round against him, but I cannot afford to lose.”
For Moicano, the time to make a run is now.
The time to maximize the opportunity before him, to capitalize on the momentum he’s built inside and outside of the Octagon by showcasing his skills and his personality is here and he has to make the absolute most it, every chance he gets.
That means continuing on to entertaining fights and post victories, as he did in November against Brad Riddell and earlier this year when he bested Drew Dober, while hopefully picking up a couple of bonuses along the way.
And if that eventually leads to a title shot, great, but business comes first.
"I like the fight because he’s in a good spot, because he’s a fun fighter to fight,” he said of the pairing with Turner. “But I feel I’m a better fighter than him; a more complete fighter than him. It’s going to be a fun fight for the fans and I’m glad to be a part of UFC 300.
“I will beat Jalin Turner,” he added, flatly, the first time his energy wasn’t registering off the charts the entire time we spoke. “I believe in myself, in what I’m doing, in my purpose. I’m in a very important moment of my life. I will beat Jalin Turner; you will see.”
UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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