Renato Moicano explains why he isn’t fighting Justin Gaethje at UFC 313

Renato Moicano has shared why he won’t be the one fighting Justin Gaethje at UFC 313 on Saturday.

When Dan Hooker suffered a hand injury, the UFC brass needed to find a replacement opponent for “The Highlight.” Ultimately, Rafael Fiziev was given the call to take the fight and he accepted. Gaethje recently claimed that the likes of Moicano “understandably” turned down the short notice fight.

Moicano has now given an explanation on why won’t be sharing the Octagon with Gaethje this weekend.

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Renato Moicano Wanted Catchweight Fight With Justin Gaethje

During a recent episode of the “Show Me The Money Podcast,” Renato Moicano said he needed to fight Justin Gaethje at a catchweight if he was expected to compete on the UFC 313 card on short notice.

https://twitter.com/showmethepod/status/1897650084822602147

“Just to clarify, people were saying that I run from the fight, but to be honest, UFC messaged me and I said, ‘Hey, I’m 190. We can do a catchweight,’ but they didn’t want a catchweight so it is what it is,” Moicano said. “Just that, and I think Gaethje will beat Fiziev but that’s a very competitive fight and that’s a very good fight to watch again.”

It’s the same reason Arman Tsarukyan couldn’t get the bout with Gaethje despite being willing to take the matchup. Fiziev was the one who was willing to attempt cutting down to 155 pounds before fight night. Time will tell if weigh-in day will go smoothly for him given that he hasn’t had time for a full camp.

Gaethje vs. Fiziev at UFC 313 will be a rematch. The two fought back in 2023 and it was Gaethje who scored the majority decision win. Fiziev is returning to action for the first time since suffering a torn ACL in his bout with Mateusz Gamrot. If he can avenge his loss to Gaethje in their first meeting, he’ll be closer than ever to a UFC title opportunity.