This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Paris, we saw a big time matchup in the lightweight division between two contenders who were looking to break into the top ten. The hometown hero Benoit Saint-Denis (13-3) was looking to bounce back as he took on Renato “Money” Moicano (20-5-1).
Saint-Denis was coming off a knockout loss to Dustin Poirier, but it was a rare fight in which he got finished yet his stock seemed to rise. Saint-Denis had finished five opponents in a row and looked dominant against Poirier before getting caught by the former interim champion.
Fighting in front of his home country against Renato Moicano, I figured he would shine in this spot. However, I was very wrong about that. Moicano secured a pretty easy takedown and dominated Saint-Denis in the first round. BSD was battered after the first round needing help to get back to his stool.
He was cut open and looked exhausted. He did recover to have a better second round, but the damage was done. He couldn’t see at all following the second round and the doctor called a stop to the action giving Renato Moicano the dominant win at UFC Paris.
What’s next after UFC Paris?
Fighting is such a brutal game. Through one round of the Dustin Poirier fight, it looked like Benoit Saint-Denis was going to be in the mix for a title shot. Then, he gets knocked out by Poirier and then he gets completely dominated in front of his home country against Renato Moicano.
Now, he’ll desperately need a win in his next fight if he wants to get back to relevancy at 155 pounds. So, who should the UFC look at for a potential opponent in his next fight? In looking at the rankings, I wouldn’t mind him taking on someone like Rafael Dos Anjos.
The former champion is always going to be a tough test and even at this stage in his career, he has solid name recognition. RDA is currently ranked 13th just one spot behind BSD. Seems like a good fight to make if you ask me.