“A Brazilian that speaks more Spanish than Portuguese,” UFC 300 star Renato Moicano impressed by rising sensation Diego Lopes

Renato Moicano praises the rising star of UFC 300 - Diego Lopes.

“A Brazilian that speaks more Spanish than Portuguese,” UFC 300 star Renato Moicano impressed by rising sensation Diego Lopes

Renato Moicano likes the grit of Diego Lopes (Image via: IMAGO)

UFC 300 had seven fighters from Brazil on the fight card, second only to the USA, who had 14. The early prelims of the card only had Americans and Brazilians on it. Renato Moicano had a come-from-behind victory against Jalin Turner in the featured portion of the early prelims. In the prelims, Diego Lopes quickly finished Sodiq Yusuff. Moreover, in the main event of the PPV, Alex Pereira knocked out Jamahal Hill.

Just days after the event, Moicano did his Show me The Money podcast, which did not have Joe Rogan, as Moicano requested in his octagon interview. UFC 300 was the main topic of discussion on the podcast. Moicano and Gilbert Burns, one of the podcast co-hosts, spoke highly of Diego Lopes who secured his third first-round finish at UFC 300.

I'm impressed because this kid [Diego Lopes] has everything. The only problem is he's a Brazilian who speaks more Spanish than Portuguese. My brother, how cr*zy is that?
Renato Moicano via Show me The Money podcast
YouTube video

Moicano also stated Lopes was a very big featherweight and was the same size as him. To this, Burns replied that, like Moicano when he was younger, Lopes could easily cut down to featherweight due to his relatively younger age. Moreover, like Moicano, Burns also liked Lopes’s language proficiency.

FS Video
His [Diego Lopes] fan base is kind of everywhere. He said he's going to focus a lot on his English now because for one fight he wants to speak Portuguese, for another fight he wants to use Spanish, and for the next one he wants to use English. He wants to keep that rotation, and I like that.
Gilbert Burns via Show me The Money podcast

Burns and Moicano agreed with the assessment that Lopes has the skills to defeat many of the fighters in the top 10. They found Josh Emmett, a former interim title challenger, an easy potential fight for Lopes. Nonetheless, Lopes had already requested Dana White to book a rematch between him and Movsar Evloev.

Renato Moicano speaks on Diego Lopes’ debut opponent

In 2021, Diego Lopes faced Joanderson Brito in week 1 of season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series and lost via decision. Almost a year later, he fought Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 on less than a week’s notice, earning Dana White’s admiration. Even though he lost the fight, his performance garnered praise.

Movsar Evloev and Diego Lopes
Movsar Evloev and Diego Lopes (Image via: X)

Since the loss, he had reeled off three successive first-round finishes in just 8 months. Moreover, he wants to rematch Evloev at UFC 303, potentially his 4th fight in 10 months. Renato Moicano, who trained with Evloev, did not think that a rematch with the undefeated featherweight would be easier for Lopes.

That guy [Movsar Evloev] is as athletic as they come. Every sparring session, he runs like 10 miles after. And we talk to him, 'Hey brother, don't do that. You're going to destroy your body.' He says, 'No, it's for the mind, right? The grind, the wrestling.' And I think his brother is like an Olympic wrestler in his country, so he's a huge athletic guy.
Renato Moicano via Show me The Money podcast

Interestingly, Evloev has no intention to fight down the rankings. Since his victory over Arnold Allen at UFC 297, he has eyes on the featherweight title. He recently criticized Ilia Topuria for his apparent inactivity. However, his last fight against Allen did not help his cause, as it got the ire of Dana White.

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