TLDR
- Renato Moicano submitted Chris Duncan in the second round at UFC Vegas 115 on April 4
- Moicano admitted a loss would have likely ended his MMA career after consecutive defeats to Makhachev and Dariush
- The Brazilian fighter has built a popular YouTube channel and was criticized for focusing on content creation over training
- Moicano wants a rematch with Brian Ortega, who beat him in 2017 and was scheduled to fight him at UFC 326 before withdrawing
- He is open to fights with Dan Hooker or Paddy Pimblett but wants opponents with name recognition and rankings
Sources: mmafighting.com | sports.yahoo.com | mmajunkie.usatoday.com
Renato Moicano submitted Chris Duncan in the main event of UFC Vegas 115 on April 4, and the Brazilian fighter admitted the victory likely saved his MMA career. Moicano finished Duncan with a rear-naked choke in the second round after dominating the fight from start to finish.
The win came after Moicano suffered back-to-back defeats to Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush in 2025, which snapped a four-fight winning streak. Those losses dropped him from a high-profile rematch with Brian Ortega to facing an unranked replacement at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
“There was a lot of pressure,” Moicano told MMA Fighting. “Coming off two losses, while also dedicating myself to YouTube. Everyone was saying the same thing he was, ‘Oh, he’s on YouTube, he’s not training.'”
Moicano has gained popularity as a YouTuber in Brazil, a profitable career he plans to pursue full-time after his fighting days end. Even Duncan, his American Top Team training partner, questioned whether Moicano’s heart was still in fighting.
“If I had lost that fight, my MMA career would have ended right there and I probably would’ve become a streamer instead,” Moicano said. “Before the fight, at times I thought, ‘Damn, if I lose it’s over, right?'”
Moicano said he took his gloves off after the victory to make people think he might retire. However, retirement never crossed his mind after securing the stoppage win.
Renato Moicano says he wanted to sucker punch Chael Sonnen for disrespecting Anderson Silva 🤣🤣
When I was 16, I looked up to Anderson Silva. He [Chael] was talking so much sh*t about Anderson Silva that I thought of buying a flight ticket to go to a UFC event just to sucker… pic.twitter.com/VLks6Whbin
— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) April 5, 2026
Fighting a Training Partner
The matchup against Duncan presented unique challenges since both fighters train at American Top Team. Duncan had said before the fight that Moicano got the better of him in training years ago but things would be different in the octagon.
That prediction did not come true. Moicano bloodied and battered Duncan before securing the submission finish.
Duncan improved his record to 15-3 overall and 6-2 in the UFC with recent wins, including a victory over Mateusz Rebecki at UFC on ESPN 71. Moicano’s record now stands at 21-7-1 overall and 13-7 in the UFC.
“I really dedicated myself over the last four months,” Moicano said. “And it wasn’t because I was going to fight Chris Duncan, it was because I was going to fight Ortega, a guy who had already beaten me.”
Brian Ortega handed Moicano his first career loss back in July 2017. The fighters were scheduled to run it back at UFC 326 in March, but Ortega withdrew due to injury.
What’s Next for Moicano
Moicano wants the UFC to re-book him against Ortega as the main event of a Fight Night card in Brazil. He believes his popularity could fill an arena for a Brazilian event.
“The fight that would make the most sense for the UFC would be Moicano vs. Ortega,” he said. “Why? Because it was already booked once.”
Moicano also mentioned other potential opponents including Dan Hooker and Paddy Pimblett. He ruled out a rematch with Benoit St. Denis, whom he has already beaten.
“I have no problem saying I’ve turned down fights because I’m at a point in my career where I have to think about myself,” Moicano said. “I’ve taken fights on three days’ notice against a former champion, I’ve fought Jose Aldo, I fought Makhachev on short notice.”
Moicano said he wants to fight opponents who are easier but have name recognition and rankings. He pointed out that beating Duncan did little to advance his position in the division.
The UFC currently has no Brazil cards scheduled for 2026. Moicano believes that could change in the second half of the year, though numbered pay-per-view events would likely feature Charles Oliveira or Alex Pereira instead.
