UFC Star Renato Moicano Targets Free Agency After Fighting Out UFC Contract
Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Renato Moicano outlined a surprising plan for his fighting career ahead of his headlining UFC bout this weekend.
Following last weekend's highly-anticipated UFC 333 event in Abu Dhabi that saw Petr Yan and Alexander Volkanovski both successfully defend their belts, the UFC returns home to Las Vegas this weekend for another UFC Fight Night event at the Meta APEX.
The 12-fight card is headlined by top-ranked lightweights Moicano and Tom Nolan, who is set to compete in his first UFC main event after upsetting Fares Ziam his last time out in June.
UFC Vegas 123 Headliner Renato Moicano Eyeing Free Agency
One of the more outspoken fighters on the UFC roster, Moicano has endeared himself to fans as much through his unique personality as he has through his success inside the cage.
The Brazilian has seen his profile grow considerably in recent years thanks to his "Money Moicano" gimmick that he's leaned into during post-fight interviews and on social media, and this week Moicano indicated that he intends to complete the remaining three fights on his current UFC deal before potentially testing free agency.
"I fight this, I see how I feel, I fight the next and I see how I feel," Moicano told Mike Heck. "And [see] how much money I'm making in UFC. If the money is good, if it's worth it - nice, let's go. If not, I will have [other] stuff to take care of. I have another business, I have this YouTube [channel], I have the gym, I have some other stuff I'm doing...I want to fight this deal out for sure, I want to do the whole thing. And then, let's see what happens. I would like to be a free agent...Just to see what it's like."
Renato Moicano Fought for Lightweight Title at UFC 311
A member of the UFC roster since 2014, Moicano initially joined the promotion as a featherweight and went 5-3 before moving up to the lightweight division in 2020.
After starting his run as a UFC lightweight by going 3-2, the 37-year-old put together a four-fight win streak to set up a huge meeting with Beniel Dariush at UFC 311, where he ended up stepping in to replace Arman Tsarukyan and challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight belt on just a day's notice.
Moicano did end up facing Dariush his next time out at UFC 317 and dropped a unanimous decision, but he rebounded from those back-to-back losses in his most recent fight when he met Chris Duncan in a UFC Fight Night main event and ended the Scotsman's four-fight win streak.
Tom Nolan Enters First UFC Main Event on Five-Fight Win Streak
A win streak would certainly put Moicano in a strong negotiating position as a potential free agent, but the Brazilian is set for a significant challenge this weekend when he takes on Nolan in Las Vegas.
Stay off the tracks
- UFC (@ufc) October 27, 2026
Tom Nolan looks for his 6th consecutive win in the main event of #UFCVegas123!
[ OCT 31 | 8pmET LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/yfJf05MYRV
A contract winner on the 2023 edition of Dana White's Contender Series, Nolan was knocked out by Nikolas Motta in his promotional debut in 2024 but has gotten his hand raised in all five of his UFC appearances since then.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Star Renato Moicano Targets Free Agency After Fighting Out UFC Contract.