Renato Moicano knows his fight with Drew Dober at UFC Vegas 85 is must-see TV – even if they’re not the main event.
That honor falls to middleweights Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov, who compete in a five-round fight to cap off the latest card at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Truth be told, Moicano doesn’t really even know much about the fighters in the top slot ahead of his co-main event matchup, so it’s hard for him to justify that as a quality headliner.
Then again, with almost no fans in attendance in a largely quiet arena like the APEX, Moicano feels like the main event probably doesn’t even matter.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have nothing against these guys, but I don’t even know their names.” Moicano told MMA Fighting. “I’m not saying I should be the main event, but that should not be the main event for sure. Whatever. It’s a Fight Night, nobody cares. Main event, co-main event, nobody cares.”
Ideally, Moicano prefers a setting like his previous outing, where he put on a show for more than 20,000 fans in Madison Square Garden at UFC 281.
Moicano hoped he would get a slot at the upcoming UFC 299 card in Miami, which takes place close to where he trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla. Instead, he got the co-main event spot at UFC Vegas 85 just below Dolize vs. Imavov.
“It’s good to be in the co-main event in a Fight Night, but I’d rather be the first fight of UFC 299,” Moicano said. “UFC 299 is awesome. It is what it is. Some fighters the UFC just put to have somebody fighting, to have on ESPN, so they have to keep the thing going.
“But if you’re asking me if Dolidze – and I don’t even know his name – if they are main event worthy, I would say not. Maybe they are good fighters, I don’t know. But it’s a Fight Night, nobody cares.”
After adopting a new nickname as ‘Money Moicano’ with a viral post-fight interview at UFC 281, the 34-year-old Brazilian wants to build on that moniker with his upcoming performance. Facing somebody like Dober will definitely give him that chance, because he expects an explosive, nonstop action fight, no matter how long it lasts.
That’s just another reason why Moicano feels his was a fight worthy of a spot on a major card, but the UFC had different plans.
“That’s a pay-per-view [fight],” he said. “It does not get better than this. Me and Drew Dober, we are guys that the mainstream public knows. If you talk to the regular fan, Conor McGregor all of these names, Renato Moicano and Drew Dober, we are not on the same level. But at the same time, if you ask a really hardcore fan, they’re going to know our careers. They’re going to know who we fought. They’re going to know that’s going to be a great fight.
“That’s why I think they put it as co-main event on [a UFC Fight Night] like that but again, nobody cares. I would rather fight on the pay-per-view like Miami. At the same time, it’s OK, I want to go watch the fights in Miami.”
Whether it’s a pay-per-view main card, or a co-main event spot on UFC Vegas 85, Moicano is coming to fight and earn a paycheck. Ultimately, he’s not too concerned about the rankings, his placement on the card, or sending an emphatic reminder that he’s still a threat to anyone in the lightweight division following an unexpected 15-month layoff.
No, Moicano’s only concern is adding zeroes to his bank account – and Dober gives him a great opportunity to do that.
“That’s a chance to make money,” he said. “Because ‘Money’ Moicano doesn’t give a s*** about people. I don’t. If you are my fan, if you support, if you buy my stuff like a lot of people buy my stuff and I’m being grateful for that but at the end of the day, do you know what pays my bills? Going out there and beating motherf****** and finishing motherf******. That’s what pays my bills and I have to say, I make good money for that.
“So I’m just worried [about] finishing Drew Dober. That’s my only worry. I don’t care. If the fans like you, that’s OK. Of course, everybody loves to be loved but if they don’t like [me], at least I have double checks to be happy about. The only thing I am really thinking about is double checks, make some money.”
