“Hell fu*king no!” Renato Moicano hilariously shuts down Max Holloway fight at lightweight after latest rankings update

Renato Moicano echoes fan sentiment on how great Max Holloway really is after the BMF title win at UFC 300.

“Hell fu*king no!” Renato Moicano hilariously shuts down Max Holloway fight at lightweight after latest rankings update

Renato Moicano thinks Max Holloway is levels above him (Source: IMAGO/Instagram)

Max Holloway returned to 155 pounds after five whole years at UFC 300. Competing for the BMF strap, he made quite a splash with his sensational win. Now, he has already debuted as a top-ten contender in the official UFC Athlete Rankings. Trailing right behind is lightweight peer Renato Moicano, who dreads his spot.

Renato Moicano aced against Jalin Turner in the UFC 300 featured prelims. ‘Money’ is now on a 3-win streak and is 5-1 in his last six outings. Right above the #10 ranked Brazilian is Max Holloway. The current BMF traded blows with Justin Gaethje and faceplanted the opponent at the very last second. As such, Moicano hilariously refused to fight Holloway. 

I saw a lot of people asking me ‘Do you wanna fight Max Holloway’... Hell fu*king no my brother! I don't wanna fight Max Holloway. I’m good, Max Holloway would beat me up...If they offer, of course I'd accept the fight, but we have to be real, we are not on the same level...Max Holloway is a legend...
Renato Moicano via his Official YouTube channel (@moneymoicano)
YouTube video

Consequently, Moicano isn’t the only one who advocates the superiority of Holloway. He is one of the top ten lightweights and has also moved six spots up in men’s Pound-for-Pound ranking, which Islam Makhachev tops. Alongside, the former champ remains the #2 featherweight. Beating #3 ranked Justin Gaethje for the silver strap, fans have voiced their angst at him for not having a higher ranking.

At 26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC, Holloway is the only fighter to have held the undisputed, interim, and also the ‘BMF’ title strap in the UFC. Hence, Moicano feels they are levels apart despite the surprising ranking. He himself is fresh from back-to-back wins with Turner and Drew Dober in the UFC Vegas 85 co-main event. He thinks names like Beneil Dariush or Paddy Pimblett are better options for now rather than the BMF champion.

UFC 300 winner Renato Moicano would fight with Paddy Pimblett on the right terms

Renato Moicano would suspend all other plans and aspirations if he gets to fight Paddy Pimblett next. However, it will only happen for the right fight purse, of course. Bobby Green also called on ‘Baddy’ Pimblett for namedropping him after defeating Jim Miller at UFC 300. Nonetheless, Moicano is ready for Pimblett and does not mind going into enemy territory for the fight.

Renato Moicano can fight Paddy Pimblett, but under stipulations
Renato Moicano can fight Paddy Pimblett but under stipulations (Source: UFC.go.com/ufc.br.com)

Moicano (19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) rallied to a winning spot after a subsequent ground-and-pound of Jalin Turner at the 4:11 mark of Round 2 of their bout. At the post-fight presser, he weighed in on Pimblett yet again, despite Green wanting the same.

Let them fight [Green and Pimblett]... I don’t care, I’m on the top 10...If the money’s right, I would fight Paddy because he’s an easy fight... I respect him. I think he’s a fighter, just a bad one. I definitely would fight him for the right money...
Renato Moicano to MMA Junkie and other media scrum at UFC 300 post-fight conference
YouTube video

This isn’t the first time he has called out Paddy Pimblett. During a Cage Fury Fighting Championships event earlier this year, Moicano hijacked MMA reporter John Morgan‘s active commentary and issued a callout on national television. The duo have had a to-and-fro going on for a while. In fact, Pimblett was shocked that ‘Money’ didn’t call him out again in his UFC 300 octagon interview.

Moicano lists making the top #10 lightweight as the reason for not wanting to fight Pimblett immediately. He even made a case to gradually work towards a title eliminator, facing the loser of Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan post-UFC 300. When fans mentioned Max Holloway as a potent challenge in the roster, Moicano quickly turned it down. He said that a name like Pimblett would make more sense to him right now than the current ‘BMF.’ It remains to be seen if Moicano vs. Pimblett happens in the Manchester PPV card or not.

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