Moicano Plans to Fight Out UFC Deal, Then Test Free Agency

Renato Moicano has three fights left on his UFC contract and plans to fight all of them before deciding what comes next. He told MMA Fighting that he would like to reach free agency and test his worth. Moicano headlines UFC Vegas 123 against Tom Nolan on Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.

"I want to fight this deal out for sure," Moicano said. "I want to do the whole thing and then let's see what happens. I would like to be a free agent, too. … Just to see what it's like, and in Brazil, I'm getting big, like getting popular. So who knows? Maybe boxing, influencing, something like that, doing all this stuff other than MMA."

He stopped short of promising anything. "After I fight this fight, fight the next, and I see how I feel, and how much money I'm making in the UFC. If the money is good, if it's worth it, nice, let's go. If not, I'll have other stuff to take care of me," he said.

That other stuff is already running. Moicano listed a YouTube channel, a gym and a side business. He has started to manage some fighters in Brazil, and he has an MMA show on Dec. 5. "So, who knows? I'm not making any plans," he said.

Why Nolan

Moicano was booked for a rematch with Brian Ortega twice this year, first at UFC 326 in March and then at UFC 331 in September. Ortega withdrew both times. According to Moicano, the UFC tried a third time and asked whether he would fight Ortega in November in Qatar.

He said no. "I'm not gonna fighting Brian Ortega again, because I just cannot trust that he's going to show up to the fight," Moicano said. He then looked at the rankings and picked Nolan, who has won five in a row. He called Nolan "a very good fighter, very dangerous."

Timing mattered too. Moicano's wife is expecting twins in December, and he has two other kids. He said he wanted to fight as soon as possible because he will be out for a long time.

The 37-year-old comes in off a win over Chris Duncan, a second-round submission in the main event of UFC Vegas 115 in April. It ended a two-fight skid: a stoppage loss to Islam Makhachev in a title fight at UFC 311 in January 2025, and a decision loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 317 five months later.

Source: MMA Fighting