With Dan Hooker out of his UFC 313 co-main event against Justin Gaethje, a queue of fighters vie for their shot at ‘The Highlight.’
Hooker vs. Gaethje was guaranteed violence in the eyes of many fans, but unfortunately, Hooker confirmed his withdrawal on Tuesday. ‘The Hangman’ revealed a injured hand forced his pull-out, and now Gaethje is left hanging.
Fortunately, there’s no shortage of UFC lightweights nipping at Gaethje’s heels for their time in the limelight. One such name is the same fighter who saved Islam Makhachev’s UFC 311 main event in January.
Renato Moicano calls out Justin Gaethje for short-notice UFC 313 fight
Taking to X on February 25, Brazilian lightweight Renato Moicano registered his interest in fighting Gaethje. ‘Money’ famously stepped in on a days’ notice to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, saving the main event altogether. Now, he might have a chance to save two PPV’s in a row.
“Two weeks is good!” Moicano wrote. “I have enough time for two or three sparring sessions! I will be ready if they call! [UFC].”
Moicano gave a good account of himself against Makhachev, landing some decent strikes before being submitted with a D’Arce choke. He was originally scheduled to face Beneil Dariush on the UFC 311 main card, but that fight was scrapped when he stepped up to fight Makhachev.
Renato Moicano was paid almost $1M to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 311
‘Money’ is an appropriate nickname for Moicano these days, who admitted he banked almost $1million for his fight with Makhachev at UFC 311. While the official salaries weren’t disclosed, Moicano told all in an appearance on his Show me the Money podcast.
“I got a nice check,” Moicano admitted. “Over [$950,000].”
With continued short-notice appearances, opportunities could be even more lucrative for Moicano inside the UFC as he becomes a company man.