Renato Moicano was never a fan of Benoit Saint Denis getting a fight against Dustin Poirier because based on rankings and experience, the matchup just didn’t make much sense.
In reality, Saint Denis appeared to be a star on the rise, especially with the UFC looking for marketable fighters coming out of Europe and he made a good accounting for himself before ultimately suffering a second-round knockout loss. Now six months later it’s Moicano who got the call to face Saint Denis in his home country as the main event for UFC Paris on Saturday.
Much like the Poirier fight, Moicano knew the agenda the UFC had in mind before the ink on the contract was dry.
“You’re going to force me to say things that UFC don’t like,” Moicano said when speaking to MMA Fighting. “But I think it’s that — UFC likes Benoit Saint Denis. UFC wants to push Benoit Saint Denis and that’s the truth. He went into the UFC with very good performances. He beat his opponents in a very good fashion but he didn’t face big names. To fight against Dustin Poirier, that’s not an easy fight to get. How many people fight Dustin Poirier? Poirier fought [Conor] McGregor, he fought you name it, in the 155 division he fought everybody, he’s a legend.
“100 percent if you win against Dustin Poirier, you’re in a title shot conversation. That’s why Poirier after Benoit Saint Denis fought for the belt. So 100 percent, they’re trying to push Benoit Saint Denis and I’m not even mad at that.”
As a well-known fan of making money, Moicano can’t fault the UFC for investing in a talented prospect like Saint Denis with hopes that he could become a draw across Europe.
With Conor McGregor missing in action since 2021 and European champions like Leon Edwards no longer holding titles, the UFC needs new names to promote and Saint Denis certainly fits that bill.
“It’s just business,” Moicano said. “I know Europe is a huge market. They don’t have many European fighters doing very well and Benoit Saint Denis is a dangerous fighter. He’s an aggressive fighter and the UFC likes him. He’s young. He’s European. Good marketing, he can make good money for the UFC
“But guess what? UFC called the wrong guy because I’m going over there and I’m beating him.”
Another reason why Moicano knows that Saint Denis is getting a big push from the UFC came after he got the call for the fight to serve as the main event in Paris on Saturday.
On paper, multi-time heavyweight title challenger Ciryl Gane is a more established name with a bigger following but he wasn’t booked for UFC Paris. Instead, he was originally scheduled to clash with Alexander Volkov at UFC 308 until that fight was recently scrapped due to injury.
Meanwhile, Saint Denis is only seven fights into his UFC career but with a fan-friendly style and the French crowd behind him, he’s got that ‘it’ factor that the organization loves.
“I was expecting to see Ciryl Gane,” Moicano said. “We have to ask why Ciryl Gane is not fighting in France and [he was fighting in Abu Dhabi]. That doesn’t make any sense to me. The only sense is they want to build [Saint Denis] up, build him back and right now like you said, a lot of people were paying attention to [my fight at] UFC 300.
“But again, I take my hat off to the UFC because the UFC is the best in the business for a reason. But I will have to prove them wrong again, it’s not the first time.”
Truth be told, Moicano says he’s been doubted his entire life and that even includes his parents telling him to give up on fighting when he was trying to make his way in the sport.
“All my fights throughout my career, I was always the underdog,” Moicano said. “Not only that, being an athlete, everyday I wake up and my father and my mother said ‘you’re not going to make it, give it up, try to find a job.’ I said no, one day they’re going to see. Same thing I feel with the UFC.
“I will push, I will do my best, I will get wins and one day the UFC will have to promote me the way I want to. And to be honest and to be fair, of course on my side I think they are trying to push Benoit Saint Denis but it’s France, main event, the fight is abroad, it’s going to have a lot of cameras, a lot of attention, so I just have to win and be myself and do what I do.”
Whether the spotlight shines brightest on Saint Denis or not, Moicano knows his job remains the same.
He may not have the crowd on his side and the odds say he’s not expected to win but that won’t stop Moicano from doing everything possible to notch his fourth straight win in the UFC>
“I’m going over there and I’m winning,” Moicano said. “I’m doing everything that I need to do to be ready for Sept. 28. I’m not trying to spar really hard and win every round at the gym. I’m not killing myself the way I used to do. I am training very hard, very diligently, but I’m training the way I need to, to be on my peak performance Sept. 28. I’m not f*cking giving up.
“I’m going over there to bring the heat, to bring the show and to win. That’s the truth. I want to win. I want the bonus and I want the double checks.”
