“F—king the fans,” Moicano told Michael Bisping. “I love you guys, but f—k you all. You better give me somebody that is easy in the rankings, otherwise I’m gonna f—king retire… I’m making a lot of money with YouTube. Follow me on YouTube motherf—kers.”

Naturally, reporters questioned him about his comments during the post-fight press conference. And Renato Moicano didn’t shy away from speaking his mind. 

“Yes. Yes,” Moicano said, when asked whether he doesn’t want to fight newcomers. “I will become 37 years old. It’s not that I don’t want to fight upcomers, but … I’m doing stuff outside [on] YouTube and I’m making money outside too. The guy needs to, at least, [have] some hype. Because look, Chris Duncan, I took the fight because I am, I was like [on two] fight skid, but he’s not famous. Nobody knows him. 

Moicano famously helped the UFC by stepping in to replace Arman Tsarukyan in January at UFC 311 and fought Islam Makhachev on 24 hours’ notice. Of course, he lost the fight, but now it appears he wants to reap the benefits of that Dana White privilege. He slammed Dana White for putting him on what he deemed a “s—t” card on Saturday night.

“This Apex card, this today, was f—king s—t,” Renato Moicano added. “I [hope Dana White] don’t listen to that, but you have Moicano as a main event in f—king apex, [are] you kidding me, and who is f—king Chris Duncan, brother. That fight doesn’t add to my career, doesn’t add to my YouTube.

The 36-year-old instead wants the high-profile fights against the likes of Brian Ortega, Paddy Pimblett, Dan Hooker, or even Benoit Saint Denis. It’s worth noting that he was supposed to fight Ortega in a rematch on March 7, 2026, at UFC 326 in Las Vegas. But Ortega withdrew from the fight due to nagging injuries that required rest and physical therapy.

The pair originally fought in 2017, where Ortega handed Moicano his first loss. And he has already defeated Benoit Saint Denis in September 2024 via a doctor’s stoppage. Not to mention, the sort of fighters he wants to face are ranked way higher than him. While the UFC isn’t a stranger to unusual matchmaking, Moicano might have to do more to get back among the elites. 

But, to Renato Moicano, winning or losing a fight doesn’t really matter. 

“And everybody can win, and everybody can lose,” he added during the presser. “It’s not about winning and losing. It’s about [who can] get the most hype, people talking about you, because this is the business. And then you have some [up and comers] that nobody knows their name, and they’ve had dangerous, I don’t think that’s smart.”

And Moicano appears to be serious about accepting only the best fights from here on out. 

Renato Moicano is not interested in fighting Esteban Ribovics

After Brian Ortega withdrew, Esteban Ribovics attempted to step in and save the fight from being canceled in March. But Moicano dismissed the idea, emphasizing the lack of recognition surrounding Ribovics.

“Ortega would’ve been great, an excellent fight, a rematch,” Renato Moicano said. “Fighting Ribovics, a guy with no buzz, no name… I’ve got nothing against him. 

The Brazilian veteran even admitted he wasn’t aware of Ribovics initially, and found out about Ribovics’ callout thanks to his friend. 

“I thought to myself, ‘If I think you’re easy money? I don’t even know who you are… Are you crazy?

While Moicano isn’t entirely opposed to the matchup under different circumstances, his priorities lie elsewhere. 

“If they had offered me Ribovics in a main event, I would’ve fought him too,” he explained. 

For now, Renato Moicano is focused on bigger opportunities that boost his profile rather than taking lower-profile fights without significant exposure. But the bigger question is, will he get his wish granted after only one win, and that too against an unranked fighter?

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