LAS VEGAS – The UFC Fight Night 235 co-main event between Renato Moicano and Drew Dober might look like a striker vs. grappler matchup on paper, but at least one side doesn’t consider it as such.
Despite Dober (27-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) entering Saturday’s lightweight bout at the UFC Apex (ESPN+) with the most knockout victories in UFC lightweight history, Moicano (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) thinks he has the advantage on the feet, on top of an even more clear gap in grappling skill.
“I’m not taking it easy on him – I don’t think he’s an easy fight,” Moicano told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 235 media day. “But I think I’m better than him. I think I’m more well-rounded. I think I can strike with him on the feet. Probably he has more power than me on the hands, right? Knockout artist. But at the end of the day, I think I’m even better than him on the striking. No disrespect to him, but I will beat him on Saturday.”
Moicano, 34, has won three of his past four fights, but he hasn’t competed since a first-round submission of Brad Riddell at UFC 281 in November 2022 due to injury. He considers himself as a formidable task for anyone at 155 pounds, however, he wants to get past this career-long layoff before making any bold claims about the future.
“It really depends how I finish the fight, how the fight goes, what happens, who is interviewing, who is on the mic,” Moicano said. “I have to wait because I don’t have anything planned (for the future).”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.
