# Renato Moicano

Renato Alves Carneiro (born May 21, 1989), known as Renato Moicano, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Moicano made a name for himself fighting all over his home country of Brazil, and is the former interim Jungle Fight Featherweight Champion. As of October 29, 2024, he is #10 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

## Background

Born in Brazil, Carneiro started training judo at the age of eight. He attended university in order to become a lawyer, but dropped out after two years to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.
On an interview, Moicano stated that his nickname "Moicano" means mohawk in Portuguese and that the nickname was given to him when he had a mohawk while training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

## Mixed martial arts career

After an undefeated professional record in eight fights, Moicano faced Ismael Bonfim for the interim Jungle Fight Featherweight Championship. He won the fight via rear naked choke submission in the first round.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

On December 12, 2014, it was announced that Moicano signed with the UFC, and was scheduled to replace Rony Jason against Tom Niinimäki on 10 days notice at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway. He won the fight via rear naked choke submission in the second round.
Moicano later was scheduled to fight Mirsad Bektic on May 30, 2015, at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves, but he was pulled from the bout due to injury and replaced by Lucas Martins.
On March 14, 2016, it was announced that Moicano would face Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC 198. for his second UFC appearance. He was the underdog to the fight but won via split decision.
Moicano was expected to face Mike De La Torre on September 24, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 95, but was forced to pull out with injury and was replaced on short notice by Godofredo Pepey.
For his third fight, Moicano faced Jeremy Stephens on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24. He won the fight by split decision.
Moicano faced Brian Ortega on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. He lost the fight via guillotine choke submission in the third round. This fight earned Fight of the Night bonus. After the fight with Ortega, Moicano moved from Brazil to United States in order to train at the American Top Team.
Moicano faced Calvin Kattar on April 7, 2018, at UFC 223. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Moicano faced Cub Swanson on August 4, 2018, at UFC 227. He won the fight via a rear naked choke submission. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Moicano was scheduled to face Mirsad Bektic on December 8, 2018, at UFC 231; however, it was reported on 15 November 2018 that Bektic was forced to pull out of the bout due to an undisclosed injury and the bout was cancelled.
Moicano faced José Aldo on February 2, 2019, in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 144. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
Moicano faced Chan Sung Jung on June 22, 2019, in the main event at UFC on ESPN+ 12. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Moicano faced Damir Hadžović in a lightweight bout on March 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 170. He won the fight via a rear naked choke submission in round one.
Moicano was scheduled to face Magomed Mustafaev on October 18, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 180. However, Moicano pulled out of the fight in mid-September for undisclosed reasons. Two weeks later, it was reported that Moicano was scheduled to face Rafael Fiziev on November 28, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Smith vs. Clark. In turn, Moicano pulled out on November 28 after testing positive for COVID-19 and the bout was rescheduled for UFC 256. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Moicano faced Jai Herbert on June 26, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 190. He won the fight via a rear naked choke in round two.
Moicano faced Alexander Hernandez on February 12, 2022, at UFC 271. He won the bout via rear naked choke in the second round.
Moicano was tabbed as a short notice replacement for Rafael Fiziev and faced Rafael dos Anjos on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272. The bout was contested at a catchweight of 160 pounds. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Moicano faced Brad Riddell on November 12, 2022, at UFC 281. He won the bout via a rear naked choke in the first round.
Moicano was scheduled to face Arman Tsarukyan on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón. However, Moicano withdrew due to an injury.
Moicano faced Drew Dober on February 3, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 235. Despite having his face cut open in the second round, Moicano had a significant amount of top-position control time which helped him win the bout by unanimous decision.
Moicano faced Jalin Turner on April 13, 2024, at UFC 300. After being knocked down at the end of the first round, Moicano rallied back and won the bout by technical knockout as a result of ground-and-pound.
Moicano faced Benoît Saint Denis in the main event on September 28, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 243. He won the fight by technical knockout due to doctor stoppage at the end of the second round as a result of damage done to Saint Denis' right eye.
Moicano was originally scheduled to face Beneil Dariush on January 18, 2025 at UFC 311. A day before the event, an injury suffered by title challenger Arman Tsarukyan forced him to pull out of the fight. Moicano ended up replacing Tsarukyan and challenged Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev for the title. He lost the fight via a D'arce choke submission in the first round.

## Professional grappling career

Moicano defeated Chase Hooper via unanimous decision at Fury Pro Grappling 3 on December 30, 2021.
Moicano faced Cristian Guzman in the co-main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 7 on May 15, 2024. He won the match on points.

## Personal life

Moicano and his wife have a son (born 2020). Moicano started referring to himself as "Money" in November 2022 after his UFC 281 post-fight speech.
Moicano has attracted attention for his outspoken support of Austrian economics. His UFC shoutout of Ludwig von Mises became a viral video. He has said that taxes on his UFC winnings led to his economic study and activism. His advocacy for Bitcoin was highlighted by Fox Business in 2024, where Moicano framed cryptocurrency as a safeguard against financial instability.

## Championships and achievements
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Brian Ortega
** Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Cub Swanson
** Tied (Charles Oliveira & Brendan Allen) for fourth most rear-naked choke submissions in UFC history (6)
** Third highest top-position percentage in UFC Lightweight division history (51.5%)
** UFC Honors Awards
*** 2024: Fan's Choice Comeback of the Year Winner vs. Jalin Turner
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2024: Ranked #7 Fighter of the Year
* Jungle Fight
** Interim Jungle Fight Featherweight Championship (One time)
* ESPN
** 2022 Best On-The-Mic moment of the Year at UFC 281

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 27 matches | 20 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 3 |
| By submission | 10 | 2 |
| By decision | 8 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 20–6–1 | Islam Makhachev | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC 311 | January 18, 2025 | 1 | 4:05 | Inglewood, California, United States | For the UFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–5–1 | Benoît Saint Denis | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis | September 28, 2024 | 2 | 5:00 | Paris, France | |
| Win | 19–5–1 | Jalin Turner | TKO (elbows and punches) | UFC 300 | April 13, 2024 | 2 | 4:11 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 18–5–1 | Drew Dober | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov | February 3, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 17–5–1 | Brad Riddell | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 281 | November 13, 2022 | 1 | 3:20 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 16–5–1 | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 272 | March 5, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (160 lb) bout. |
| Win | 16–4–1 | Alexander Hernandez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 271 | February 12, 2022 | 2 | 1:23 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 15–4–1 | Jai Herbert | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov | June 26, 2021 | 2 | 4:36 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 14–4–1 | Rafael Fiziev | KO (punches) | UFC 256 | December 12, 2020 | 1 | 4:05 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 14–3–1 | Damir Hadžović | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira | March 14, 2020 | 1 | 0:44 | Brasília, Brazil | Lightweight debut. |
| Loss | 13–3–1 | Jung Chan-sung | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie | June 22, 2019 | 1 | 0:58 | Greenville, South Carolina, United States | |
| Loss | 13–2–1 | José Aldo | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 | February 2, 2019 | 2 | 0:44 | Fortaleza, Brazil | |
| Win | 13–1–1 | Cub Swanson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 227 | August 4, 2018 | 1 | 4:15 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–1–1 | Calvin Kattar | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 223 | April 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Brooklyn, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 11–1–1 | Brian Ortega | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 214 | July 29, 2017 | 3 | 2:59 | Anaheim, California, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 11–0–1 | Jeremy Stephens | Decision (split) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis | April 15, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 10–0–1 | Zubaira Tukhugov | Decision (split) | UFC 198 | May 14, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 9–0–1 | Tom Niinimäki | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway | December 20, 2014 | 2 | 3:30 | Barueri, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–0–1 | Ismael Bonfim | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jungle Fight 71 | July 19, 2014 | 1 | 2:59 | São Paulo, Brazil | Won the interim Jungle Fight Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0–1 | Nilson Pereira | Decision (unanimous) | Jungle Fight 55 | July 20, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–0–1 | Mauro Chaulet | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jungle Fight 50 | May 6, 2013 | 2 | 2:53 | Novo Hamburgo, Brazil | |
| Draw | 5–0–1 | Felipe Froes | Draw (majority) | Shooto Brazil 36 | November 23, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Brasília, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–0 | Iliarde Santos | Decision (unanimous) | Jungle Fight 29 | June 25, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Serra, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | João Luiz Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | Jungle Fight 25 | February 19, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Vila Velha, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Eduardo Felipe | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jungle Fight 24 | December 18, 2010 | 2 | 2:49 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | João Paulo Rodrigues | Decision (unanimous) | Jungle Fight 21 | July 31, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Natal, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Alexandre Almeida | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jungle Fight 18 | May 20, 2010 | 3 | 1:56 | São Paulo, Brazil | Featherweight debut. |

## Submission grappling record

1 Match, 1 Win, 0 Losses :
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Location |
| Win | 1–0 | Chase Hooper | Decision (unanimous) | Fury Pro Grappling 3 | 30 December 2021 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |

## Pay-per-view bouts

| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV buys |
| 1. | UFC 311 | Makhachev vs. Moicano | January 18, 2025 | Intuit Dome | Inglewood, California, United States | Not Disclosed |