Renato Moicano has offered a unique insight into his quick loss against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311.
The lightweight champion was originally booked to face top contender Arman Tsaruykan, but the Armenian fighter withdrew from their title clash on Friday after suffering a back injury while cutting weight.
Renato Moicano stepped in to replace him. The Brazilian fan favorite had already made weight for his UFC 311 fight with Beneil Dariush, who Dana White gave double pay after removing him from his first big card of 2025.
‘Money’ promised to shock the world by causing an upset before getting submitted inside one round at the Intuit Dome in California.
- READ MORE: Arman Tsarukyan addresses wild conspiracy theory about injury that forced withdrawal from UFC 311
Renato Moicano reveals crowd played role in UFC 311 loss
On Monday, Renato Moicano spoke about losing at UFC 311 on his YouTube channel.
The 35-year-old broke down the fight and revealed the reason he got choked out by Makhachev.
“Unfortunately, I got finished in the first round,” Moicano said. “But I want to clarify some stuff.
“As you could see, when the fight starts, I was doing very well on the feet because I had training to do that. I knew Beneil Dariush was coming off two knockout [losses] and then I say, ‘Okay, I will try to be on my feet’ because it’s going to be very hard to put Dariush down and control him.
“I’m gonna move a lot and punch him, that’s what I did with Islam Makhachev. I was in a good stance. I was catching him with some punches, with some left hands, with the right hand. I was feeling very well, and I think that was one of the problems.
Moicano went on to explain how Makhachev’s ‘perfect shot’ takedown put him on his back and upset the fans. At this point, he desperately tried to get back to his feet to appease them, but it backfired massively.
He added: “The crowd started to boo, and I said, ‘Man, I have to get back on the feet because I’m doing very well on the feet’. That was the problem.
“Even though he wasn’t finding the space to punch me or do effective ground and pound, I just wanted to get back on the feet so I could score on the striking.
“When I started to create the space in the scrambles to get back on the feet, he kind of gave me the sense that I could put my foot on his hips and get back up.
“But he did that so I could expose my neck. Then he grabbed with a D’arce choke and was very fast. That’s why I tapped so fast because it was very locked.”
Renato Moicano vs Paddy Pimblett next?
Paddy Pimblett was critical of Moicano after watching him fall short against the pound-for-pound best.
‘The Baddy’ blasted his long-time rival for tapping so quickly in the biggest fight of his life.
Since then, the two men have been exchanging insults and fight offers on social media.
Moicano has since confirmed that he desires to return against Pimblett in a few months time.
“Paddy Pimblett, easy money,” he said when asked who he wants next during an interview with Ariel Helwani.
“He’s talking a lot of s***, book that fight already. I’m going to make him pay for saying that.
“That’s what drives me crazy, he’s never got a fight on short notice and I fought the pound-for-pound [best] on one day, and he’s still talking s***. Who has this guy beat in the UFC?
“Imagine he fights Islam Makhachev. Tell me you think Paddy Pimblett beats Islam Makhachev. I don’t know. I don’t see him beating Islam Makhachev. I don’t see him being competitive, but what can I do, I was not competitive too.
“In the perfect world, I would fight Paddy Pimblett in Brasilia. I know the UFC is going back in April or May to Brasil, and I want that main event against Paddy Pimblett.”