UFC lightweight Renato Moicano says he plans to walk away from MMA once his UFC contract runs out and move into influencer boxing. The 37-year-old Brazilian made the comments on Ariel Helwani's show on November 2, two days after his controversial loss to Tom Nolan at UFC Vegas 123.
What Moicano said
According to clips posted by Helwani and a report from LowKick MMA, Moicano said he has three fights left on his deal. "To be completely honest with you, I want to finish my contract, and once I finish my contract, I don't want to fight MMA anymore," he said. "I want to do boxing, like influencer boxing. I want to beat up people that don't know how to fight."
He pointed to Tony Ferguson as the example he wants to avoid. "I don't wanna be like Tony Ferguson. Eight fights, trying to be a champion, 40 years old, on a six-fight losing streak. I don't want that," Moicano said. He added that "sometimes you have to realize when you're done" and that he expects to be finished after the three fights because the UFC "is not gonna pay me enough".
The UFC has not commented on his plans.
The Nolan loss and the pay
Moicano also spoke about the finish against Nolan on October 31. Our database lists the result as a third-round TKO win for Nolan. The controversy centred on referee Dan Miragliotta, who according to LowKick MMA stood the fighters up in the second round while Moicano was working a submission from Nolan's back.
Moicano said he expects nothing extra from the UFC: "I don't expect nothing from anybody. I don't believe the world is fair." "I could not care less about Tom Nolan or Dan Miragliotta," he said, according to Helwani's clip. His one complaint was money: "The only thing I get sad about is I got only half of the paycheck... You put your life on the line, and sometimes because of other people's mistakes, you don't get paid."
Background
Before the Nolan fight, Moicano told MMA Fighting that he wanted to fight out his contract and test free agency, naming boxing, influencer work, his YouTube channel and his gym as options. He also runs an MMA show in Brazil on December 5. The earlier reports covered his free agency plans, not a decision to stop fighting MMA. Pre-fight coverage also differed on how many fights remained on the deal, and Moicano now puts the number at three.
Moicano is 21-8-1 in the Pugna MMA database and was ranked eighth in the UFC lightweight division as of October 27. Before the Nolan fight he had submitted Chris Duncan in the second round at UFC Fight Night in April 2026. In January 2025 he challenged Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 and lost by first-round submission, then lost a decision to Beneil Dariush at UFC 317.
Nolan, 12-1, was ranked 12th at lightweight as of the same date. The UFC has not announced Moicano's next fight.
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