This past weekend in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 85, Renato Moicano (18-5-1) was looking to pickup a big time win that could get him back into contention. The last time we saw Moicano, he had a big win over Brad Riddell, but that was all the way back in November 2022.
“Money” Moicano returned Saturday night and took on Drew Dober (27-13) in the co-main event. Dober is dangerous for anyone considering his big time power, but I thought that Moicano would have an advantage here. Moicano has really good straight shots and counters, but he’s also very strong in his grappling.
On Saturday, he leaned heavy in the grappling with his takedowns. The second round got a little dicey for him where he started to take some damage, but he was able to neutralize things with his wrestling. Ultimately, he was able to win a decision at UFC Vegas 85 then he cut a promo like only Money Moicano knows how.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 85?
After his win, Moicano took to X where he called for his next fight. Moicano called for a fight against Beneil Dariush and personally, I think it’s a great fight. Moicano is going to make a jump in the rankings, but he’s not going to be close to the top five or title contention after this latest win.
Dariush was on the cusp of a title shot, however, he’s suffered back-to-back first round losses to the likes of Charles Oliveira and Armen Tsarukyan. Dariush needs to take a slight step back from the top of the division and Moicano needs to take a step up.
To me, it seems like the perfect fight for both men. Moicano wants it at UFC 301 which is being targeted for Brazil in May. Not sure if the timeline matches up for Dariush, but I love the idea and the fight.