Renato Moicano, who missed all of 2023 battling injury, finally returns to the octagon as part of this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 85.
That’s not an easy stretch for “Money” Moicano, who in recent years has become a popular, and more outspoken, member of the UFC’s lightweight division.
“Yeah it’s tough, right? One year without fighting, but still having the same bills. So it’s time to collect some checks Saturday,” Moicano (17-5-1) exclaimed during this week’s UFC Vegas 85 media day, showing off some clearly improved English skills.
“I got hurt, but I had to do what I had to do. I recovered, and now I will fight,” Moicano said of his time away. And it wasn’t all doom and gloom. “Last year, even though I was not fighting, last year was good for me for sure.”
On that front, Moicano said that practically everything in his life was good, aside from not fighting.
“Everything. I’m getting old, now I have a son and I have a family. Just to be able to see my son growing and to do stuff that I love — that is training — and I don’t have much obligations to be honest. So the whole day, I try to be with my family, then I try to read some books, then I watch some TV, Youtube, whatever, and then I do everything again.”
“To live like that, I have to beat Drew Dober on Saturday, so he’s in trouble on Saturday,” added Moicano.
Renato Moicano vs. Drew Dober serves as the UFC Vegas 85 co-main event. It’s a placement that feels equal parts success in the cage (the Brazilian is 3-1 in his last four fights with his last win over Brad Riddell), and the recent emergence of a more personable Moicano.
“The English barrier is still a problem, but not only that, I think I changed a lot. Since I went to the UFC, I changed a lot.” Moicano grew up dreaming of fighting in the UFC, after struggling to find something meaningful in his life. He was so laser-focused that upon arrival in the promotion, he didn’t care about anything else— not the fans, media, or even money. “But as I get to be older, I started to realize that this is just a business. If people know you, they’re going to support you.”
And even if some people find him cringe, others will think “that guy’s nice, he doesn’t speak English but he’s trying to communicate.”
“At the end of the day I started to learn about business, economics and stuff like that. I decided to speak my mind, and it’s working for me, not only in UFC but in life too,” Moicano added.
Watch the full UFC Vegas 85 media day appearance by Renato Moicano above.
