Renato Moicano doubts the UFC would give him Paddy Pimblett: “UFC is going to protect him”

Renato Moicano doesn’t think he will be fighting Paddy Pimblett anytime soon.

Moicano and Pimblett have taken shots at one another in the past and many fans were hoping it would lead to them fighting each other. Both are massive fan-favorites, but after Moicano beat Benoit Saint-Denis in a dominating fashion the Brazilian doesn’t think the UFC will give him that fight.

Money Moicano has his doubts about getting matched up with Paddy Pimblett.

"UFC is going to protect him. That's 100%. He is not fighting Money Moicano."#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/JTUvg4uhfS

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 15, 2024

“I don’t know, doesn’t matter. UFC is going to protect him,” Moicano said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “That’s 100%. He’s not fighting ‘Money’ Moicano. I’m not trying to discount him. I don’t think he didn’t accept the fight. But think about the company, UFC. What’s the point of doing this matchup? ‘Money’ Moicano is going to smash Paddy Pimblett. One takedown and the fight is over. They’re gonna lose a very good product. Because we cannot lie, Paddy Pimblett is a good product for the UFC.”

Although Renato Moicano doesn’t think the UFC would offer the fight against Paddy Pimblett, he says if they do, he would accept it.

“If they offer me the fight, of course I would (accept),” Moicano said. “Of course, you know what’s up.”

Paddy Pimblett responds to Renato Moicano’s callout

After Renato Moicano defeated Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris, he called out Paddy Pimblett in his Octagon interview.

“Thank you so much, France. Paris is f*****g beautiful,” Moicano said in his post-fight press conference. “And next, I want easy money. Paddy Pimblett, easy money. Dan Hooker, easy money. Don’t come up with bullshit fights. Don’t come up with guys that are tough, I want easy fights. I just beat a hell of an athlete. Everybody was talking about Benoit Saint-Denis. But, guess what? ‘Money’ Moicano is the man tonight.”

It didn’t take long for Pimblett to respond as he took to Instagram to accept the Brazilian’s callout.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Paddy THE BADDY Pimblett (@theufcbaddy)

“Let’s do this. @renato_moicano_ufc #easymoney,” Pimblett wrote.

Whether or not the UFC will make the Renato Moicano vs. Paddy Pimblett fight is to be seen.

Renato Moicano (20-5-1) is riding a four-fight winning streak and coming off the win over Saint-Denis. The Brazilian is ranked 11th at lightweight. Also on the winning streak, Moicano has wins over Jalin Turner, Drew Dober, and Brad Riddell. In his career, Moicano has notable wins over Calvin Kattar, Cub Swanson, Jeremy Stephens, and Alex Hernandez among others.

Paddy Pimblett (22-3) is a perfect 6-0 in the UFC and is coming off a first-round submission win over Bobby Green. Pimblett is ranked 14th at lightweight and has notable wins over Tony Ferguson, Jared Gordon, and Jordan Leavitt.