Despite earning an outstanding stoppage win over hometown hero Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris, Brazilian fan-favorite Renato ‘Money’ Moicano has failed to see any improvement in his lightweight ranking.
This has understandably left the outspoken finisher with a bitter taste in his mouth; launching a detailed rant online about why he should be the #6 ranked best lightweight in the world – and he’s got a point.
Renato Moicano fails to move up in the rankings despite stoppage win in Paris
Even though he battered Benoit Saint-Denis from pillar to post, earning the stoppage win after the Frenchman’s eyes swelled shut, Renato Moicano has not moved up a single place from his #11 UFC lightweight ranking.
Understandably, the Brazilian is incredibly frustrated with this lack of movement, especially as he was trying to land a fight against #5 ranked Dan ‘The Hangman’ Hooker – even suggesting the two could duke it out in December in a title eliminator.
In the first of several furious posts to his social media channels, Moicano would share a graphic explaining “Why I should be #6 in the LW rankings” with those fighters ranked 6-10 seeing their spot under fire.
“#10 Max Holloway; not a lightweight. #9 Rafael Fiziev; 1 year without fighting. #8 Mateusz Gamrot; coming from a loss. #7 Beneil Dariush; coming from a loss. #6 Michael Chandler; 2 years without fighting.”
“If UFC Rankings Aren’t Total Bull****, I Should Be Ranked #6 in the Lightweight Division Tomorrow,” Moicano doubled down in a second X thread: “Why – In the last 8 months, I’ve fought 3 times and I’m on a 6-fight win streak in the lightweight division, with 5 stoppages.”
First in his crosshairs was Max Holloway, who is set to face Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title later this month; ‘Blessed’ finds himself ranked at both 145lbs and 155lbs.
According to Moicano, “Even if he loses [vs Topuria], his spot in the lightweight rankings makes no sense. He just beat Gaethje, so if anything, he should be ranked #3. I’d gladly take #7 if that was case.”
Fiziev, Gamrot, and Dariush were collectively lumped together with ‘Money’ aptly pointing out that none of the three are coming off wins; with Fiziev and Dariush on back-to-back losing streaks.
Then comes Michael Chandler, and Moicano certainly didn’t mince his words about his fury at ‘Iron’ being ranked above him after UFC Paris.
“#6 Michael Chandler: If anyone doesn’t deserve this spot, it’s Michael Chandler. He’s 2-3 in the UFC, coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier in November 2022. Since then, he’s been sitting out, waiting for Conor McGregor’s return, and only now decided to fight Charles Oliveira.”
Ultimately, the message from Moicano to both fans and the UFC is a simple one: “There’s no way I’m not #6 in the lightweight division right now,” and after reading through his messages, it’s hard that Moicano isn’t bang on correct.
Ranking changes across the UFC
Following UFC Paris and across all weight divisions, only five fighters saw their official spot in the rankings change.
- Movsar Evloev: Improves one spot to #5 featherweight.
- Brian Ortega: Drops one spot to #6 featherweight.
- Max Holloway: Drops one spot to #10 lightweight, still ranked #2 featherweight.
- Ailin Perez: Improves one spot to #14 bantamweight.
- Chelsea Chandler: Drops one spot to #15 bantamweight.
What do you think about the recent rankings update; does Moicano deserve to be ranked higher than the #11 spot after his dominant win at UFC Paris?