After the massive success of Noche UFC, the MMA premier is set to return to Paris, the French capital for an epic lightweight main event. In an action-packed LW scrap at the Accor Arena, 35-year-old Renato Moicano is scheduled to face surging #12 ranked lightweight prospect, Benoit Saint-Denis. Needless to say, there’s a lot riding on it for both fighters, including the money.
Eyeing a shot at redemption, BSD is planning to make a statement with a stellar rebound after his heavy-handed TKO loss to Dustin Poirier. According to certain market speculations, Saint-Denis earned $256,000 in his last bout against ‘The Diamond’ at UFC 299, so he is set to earn a similar amount at this weekend’s Paris Fight Night.
As for the underdog, Renato Moicano is coming off three stellar wins against Jalin Turner, Drew Dober, and Brad Riddell. The Brazilian will try to use his BJJ game and derail the BSD express to better his position in the LW standings.
Now, the Brazilian bagged his biggest payday after the Turner fight, earning $291,000 at UFC 300 despite his base pay being only $91,000. And much like his opponent, Moicano is also expected to earn something along the same lines.
Meanwhile, ahead of the fight, Moicano showered praise on his teammate, Poirier, expressing his admiration towards the veteran southpaw regardless of his recent loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Moicano tips his hat to Poirier ahead of UFC Paris
Much like the majority of MMA fans, Brazil’s Renato Moicano is also an ardent Poirier fan. The Louisiana native really has grown on the community from being a lesser-known cocky brash to becoming one of the most followed fighters in the sport.
Now, prior to his hotly anticipated scrap with BSD, Moicano had a lot of praise for the ‘Diamond’. During an exclusive with SHAK MMA, he said,
“I’m a huge fan of Dustin Poirier. The way he lives, the way he carries himself, and he always bounces back. Dustin Poirier, if I have one word to describe him, it’s resilience.”
The fighter also revealed that ‘The Diamond’ had talked to him about Saint Denis since he’s already gotten the job done before.
🚨🤝 Dustin Poirier believes that Renato Moicano will submit Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris in September.
🎥 @arielhelwani pic.twitter.com/ujJ0OVzvqE
— Show Me the Money Podcast (@showmethepod) July 10, 2024
Meanwhile, Poirier gave his prediction on this weekend’s thriller, picking Moicano to emerge victorious. In a July exclusive to Ariel Helwani, Poirier expressed his confidence in Moicano, saying,
“I actually saw Moicano during International Fight Week. … I went and talked to him and I told him, if he needs help, I’ll fly back to Florida. Honestly, I think he submits BSD. His [Moicano’s] jiu-jitsu is really good. And he’s strong for that weight, and big.”
What do you think? Who have you got in your books? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
