The roles are reversed following UFC Fight Night 243.
Renato Moicano has called for a fight vs. Paddy Pimblett for months. But after his TKO of Benoit Saint Denis on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris, Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) was the one being called out by Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC).
“Let’s do this,” Pimblett wrote on Instagram, tagging Moicano in the caption.
Upon hearing of this challenge, however, Moicano discouraged Pimblett from taking the fight if it were actually offered.
“Please don’t accept the fight,” Moicano said at a post-fight news conference. “I’m going to hurt you. I’m going to elbow your skull.”
Pimblett has voiced openness in the past about fighting Moicano. But as one of the most called-out fighters in the UFC today, he’s seldom called for matchups himself. Saturday was a rarity in that regard, and Moicano hopes to capitalize to the maximum, possibly with a coaching gig on “The Ultimate Fighter.”
“I think it’s going to be a huge exposure,” Moicano said. “Right now, I’m looking for exposure. I’m looking for cameras because I’ve been in the UFC for 10 years. This year will be 10 years. Three years ago, nobody knew me. Nobody knew me, and I always work hard. I always have put in the work. But it doesn’t matter if you’re the best fighter in the world nobody knows. I want more cameras. I want more people talking about my name in MMA because that way I can bring more attention, and I can make my case to fight for the belt eventually.”
Pimblett isn’t the only one on Moicano’s radar, though. Before Pimblett’s name was brought up, Moicano mentioned Dan Hooker as “easy money.”
Regardless of who’s next, Moicano wants to be taken seriously. He’s won four in a row, but Moicano said his momentum carries back further than that.
“Everybody is talking about how, ‘Now, you have four wins in a row.’ No, I have six wins in a row in the lightweight division,” Moicano said. “I only lost to Rafael dos Anjos at 160. That’s not lightweight. That’s a catchweight. Go to the top 15 and see somebody with six wins and five finishes. People cannot deny me anymore. I’m 35 years old. I don’t have much time, so now it’s time to go. I want to beat Dan Hooker or Paddy Pimblett or somebody else and fight for the title.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
