Renato Moicano Rejected UFC Rio Charles Oliveira Bout Because of ‘Budding New Career’

Throughout his UFC run, Moicano has earned respect for his willingness to take high-profile fights on short notice. In 2022, he stepped in on just days’ notice to face former champion Rafael dos Anjos in a five-round co-main event at UFC 272. He repeated this pattern at UFC 311, where he replaced Arman Tsarukyan, but came short against Islam Makhachev and lost his shot at the title via submission.

Over the years, Moicano has shared the cage with some of the division’s most notable names. He has competed against the likes of José Aldo, Chan Sung Jung, Brian Ortega, and Benoit Saint-Denis, gaining experience at both featherweight and lightweight. However, his most recent outing in the Octagon ended in disappointment as he lost a unanimous decision to Beneil Dariush.

Nevertheless, the UFC found a replacement fighter for the UFC Rio main event in Mateusz Gamrot. Over the past year, Renato Moicano has dedicated a considerable portion of his time to streaming and content creation, an avenue many fighters have embraced to build sustainable careers beyond competition. Moicano’s expansion into media reflects the evolving dynamics of modern MMA.

Renato Moicano reveals his source of inspiration to start a YouTube channel

Digital platforms have become a major outlet for fighters to connect with audiences, and many athletes are now producing content that extends their influence far beyond the octagon. Renato Moicano is one of the UFC fighters who has fully embraced this shift, using his YouTube channel to engage fans with fight breakdowns, live streams, training insights, and commentary on the sport.

The MMA Guru has established a reputation for providing unfiltered commentary on fighters, matchups, and UFC events, and his success demonstrates how digital platforms can be leveraged to foster a direct connection with fans. By adapting a similar model but bringing his own perspective as an active fighter, Moicano revealed that he had developed one of the largest MMA channels in Brazil.

I took a lot of inspiration from him (MMA Guru) and from his content. If you can be yourself and you don’t even need to be like producing stuff, if you have good stuff, people are going to watch. Then I saw that if I can be competing here on my English YouTube with guys that are better than me, so I go to Brazil and I took a risk and now my YouTube channel is doing very well.

Renato Moicano via Showmethepod

The rise of his channel reflects how modern athletes are no longer limited to competition alone. By combining his professional fighting career with digital media work, Renato Moicano has positioned himself as a unique figure in Brazilian MMA fans. His success demonstrates how fighters can leverage new media to ensure their voices remain part of the larger conversation around the sport.