The co-main event of UFC 272 will feature a 160-pound catchweight fight between Rafael dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 19-11 UFC) and Renato Moicano (16-4-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC). UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal airs live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday, March 5th. The main card will start with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT, with the ESPN/ESPN+ prelims beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT and the early prelims kicking off at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT.
How do these two stack up?
Dos Anjos: 37 years old | 5’8” | 70” reach
Moicano: 32 years old | 5’11” | 72” reach
What have these two done recently?
Dos Anjos: W – Paul Felder (DEC) | L – Michael Chiesa (DEC) | L – Leon Edwards (DEC)
Moicano: W – Alexander Hernandez (SUB) | W – Jai Herbert (SUB) | L – Rafael Fiziev (KO)
How did these two get here?
When Rafael dos Anjos found out he was not fighting Rafael Fiziev in the co-main event of UFC 272 on Saturday, the UFC went hunting to find a suitable replacement. There were fighters like Paul Felder and Terrance McKinney who raised their hands to step in, but the promotion ultimately decided on revisiting someone he had been booked against twice before: Islam Makhachev. Makhachev was in action two weeks ago at UFC Vegas 49, where he finished Bobby Green by first-round technical knockout. He seemed open to meeting RDA as a short-notice replacement, but the fight fell through after he allegedly turned it down. With Makhachev out, Dos Anjos was still in need of an opponent, and he received one in Renato Moicano.
Dos Anjos has not fought since his return to the lightweight division and split decision win over the aforementioned Felder at UFC Vegas 14 in 2020. The former UFC lightweight champion has been plagued by a number of issues that have kept him away from the Octagon, including positive COVID-19 tests and injuries. After more than a year, the Brazilian now has a chance to earn another win over a game opponent.
Moicano moved from featherweight to lightweight and has found success in three of his past four fights. The American Top Team (ATT) product submitted Damir Hadžović via first-round rear-naked choke in his debut, but could not keep his momentum going as he fell to Rafael Fiziev in his next appearance. Since then, Moicano has earned back-to-back submissions over Jai Herbert and Alexander Hernandez at UFC Vegas 30 and UFC 271, respectively.
Why should you care?
It may not be the fight we expected, but Rafael dos Anjos vs. Renato Moicano has the potential to be a show stealer.
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