Los Angeles – UFC lightweight Renato Moicano is in full business mode as far as his career goes as he gets set to take on Beneil Dariush at UFC 311 this Saturday night.
Moicano (20-5-1) is not putting on an act. He’s really leaned into his ‘Money Moicano’ identity and applied it to almost everything.
“I think (it) was when my son (was) born right? He (was) born and I said ‘man I’m f*cked. Now I have to take care of him for the rest of my life’. I need money,” Moicano told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
“I need like a better house. I need to take care of stuff so that changed. This whole process that I was talking about, mindset and stuff, like I (said) fight is very real. If you lie to yourself with fighting you’re going to end up losing again.”
In MMA it’s all about winning. Moicano made that switch in his mind and hasn’t looked back.
“I remember old days fighters that they used to gas out on fighting. You have to look (at) yourself and say what you doing bad? What (are) you doing wrong? What (do) you have to correct,” he said.
“In my case I was not using grappling. I have been training grappling since I was like 11, 12-years-old. Now I takedown people and I beat the sh*t out of them like I did with Benoit St. Denis.”
Fighting, making money, it’s all tied to Moicano’s new “Money Moicano” mindset.
“I (started) to look at my career as a business. I put all the points and I say what (do) I have to do to get better. I did a plan, who I need to fight to put me on a good position, what (do) I have to (say),” he said.
“I took my fighting career more like a businessman and I knew I was getting old so I need to rush. That’s why I’m fighting non-stop.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Renato Moicano above. He takes on Beneil Dariush at UFC 311 on Saturday night.