Renato Moicano says he will walk away from MMA once his UFC contract is up. The Brazilian lightweight set that timeline after a contested stoppage loss to Australia’s Tom Nolan on October 31 in Las Vegas.
Three Fights Left on His Deal
Moicano plans to fight out the final three bouts on his UFC contract before stepping away from competition for good. He told Ariel Helwani as much in an interview released in early November, saying he does not believe the promotion will pay him what he is worth once the deal expires.
Moicano carries a 21-8-1 professional MMA record. He has spent years as one of the most experienced names in the UFC lightweight division.
Moicano has not named opponents for his final three fights, and he gave no timeline for when they will happen, saying that will depend on what the UFC offers him.
A Contested Stoppage Against Tom Nolan
Moicano’s most recent fight came on October 31 in the main event of UFC Vegas 123 in Las Vegas. Tom Nolan won by TKO in the third round, a call that drew criticism from several figures in the sport, including Henry Cejudo and Gilbert Burns. Moicano himself questioned referee Dan Miragliotta’s handling of the finish after the fight.
The loss is his third in his last four outings, a stretch that weighs heavily on his decision to put a deadline on his career rather than fight on indefinitely.
Nolan praised Moicano after the fight as one of the toughest tests of his career. Moicano brushed the compliment aside, describing himself as “a journeyman” rather than a title contender.
The Stoppage Reignites a Debate Over Officiating
Miragliotta’s stoppage reopened a long-running debate about UFC officiating. Former referee Big John McCarthy used the controversy to reveal how much the promotion pays its officials, a topic rarely discussed in the open. He said the most he was ever paid for working a UFC card was $2,000, for two title fights at UFC 217 in New York back in 2017, and estimated Miragliotta earned around $1,600 for working Moicano vs. Nolan.
Cejudo and Burns both argued Miragliotta let the fight go on too long before stepping in, saying the stoppage should have come sooner to protect Moicano. McCarthy, a longtime former UFC referee turned broadcaster, remains one of the sport’s most recognizable voices on officiating, which gave his pay disclosure added weight among fans and fighters alike.
A Shared History With Benoit Saint-Denis
Moicano’s name is tied to Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis on the other side of the Atlantic. The Brazilian beat Saint-Denis at UFC Paris in front of his home crowd, a win that earned him a short-notice lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev. Moicano lost that fight to a first-round submission.
He has not rediscovered the form that carried him past Saint-Denis since that title attempt. His recent run of losses, including the one to Nolan, fits into that broader slide. Saint-Denis himself is still active in the division and is set to face Quillan Salkilld on an upcoming UFC card, a matchup drawing close attention in France.
Boxing on the Internet After the Octagon
Moicano is eyeing a move into boxing once his UFC contract ends, with hopes of landing a spot on a show built around a streamer like Adin Ross. He is rejecting the idea of grinding out his MMA career past its expiration date.
That kind of crossover is gaining ground on the back of shows built around online personalities. France’s Cedric Doumbe confirmed this week that he will box Jake Paul on December 24 in Dubai, another sign of how closely MMA and mainstream boxing are now overlapping.
“I don’t want to be like Tony Ferguson, eight losses in a row,” Moicano said. Ferguson, the American former title challenger now 40 years old, left the UFC after eight straight losses and has since gone 0-6 in MMA. Moicano added, “I’m not going to try to become champion at forty.”
He summed up his position in one line: “Honestly, once my contract is done, I don’t want to fight in MMA anymore.” That puts his final three fights on a kind of countdown clock for anyone following the lightweight division.
The loss to Nolan drops Moicano further down the lightweight pecking order, a division still crowded behind champion Islam Makhachev. How the Brazilian handles his last three fights will now shape how he is remembered on his way out of the UFC.
Moicano’s last fight ended in a referee stoppage. Fighters compete in 4-ounce gloves inside the UFC cage: our ranking of MMA fight gloves compares the best model from every brand.
