Renato Moicano Hopes For Islam Makhachev or Arman Tsarukyan To Suffer Leg Injury for UFC Title Shot Opportunity

In his quest for a shot at the lightweight title, Brazilian fighter Renato Moican wouldn’t mind if Islam Makhachev or Arman Tsarukyan suffered a leg injury at UFC 311. How he hopes that would get him up there when Charles Oliveira and 8 other fighters above him in the rankings continue to exist is another story altogether.

Moicano has been making waves in the lightweight division but at #10 in the rankings, he hasn’t exactly been able to set himself up for UFC gold. However, in an interview with MMA Fighting, he said,

“I hope they break a leg or something so I can jump in and fight for the title”

‘Money’ referenced a past UFC scenario to back up his point, recalling the time Al Iaquinta ended up in a title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov,

“I was on the same card when Max Holloway couldn’t make weight, and Al Iaquinta got his title shot. I don’t think he would ever get a title shot if it wasn’t like that.”

At 35, Moicano is one of the more experienced fighters in the division. However, this age also means he has very little time to make it to the top of the food chain in the lightweight division.

So, while some fighters might shy away from saying they’d take advantage of another’s misfortune, Moicano is not above embracing the chaos of the fight game.

However, at the end of the day, it is a joke. In reality, he’s not going to leave everything up to fate.

Moicano presents his case

Moicano truly believes he’s next in line for a UFC lightweight title shot—if he can put on a show at UFC 311. Scheduled to face #9-ranked Beneil Dariush, Moicano told Ariel Helwani in an interview that he has a plan to seize his moment and set the division abuzz.

“My plan is, go over there, dominate Dariush, finish him, and get the mic and make my case for the title shot… “I am on a six-fight win streak with five finishes—who else has these stats in lightweight?”

Moicano believes he’ll cement his case for the next title shot by dominating a respected contender like Dariush. And if history is any indication, he’ll have plenty to say when the mic is in his hands.