Paddy Pimblett reacts after being called out for 'easy money' fight as long-time rival lands controversial TKO win in UFC Paris main event
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Paddy Pimblett has hit back at his long-time rival Renato Moicano after being branded ‘easy money’ in his post-fight callout.
The Liverpool native has had a friendly feud with Moicano for years, with the pair both verbally agreeing to fight one another on multiple occasions. But now that the pair are both ranked in the UFC’s lightweight top 15, it seems like a bout between the two is closer than ever.
On Saturday night at UFC Paris, Moicano landed a controversial doctor’s stoppage win over number 12-ranked Benoit Saint-Denis. He impressed over the two rounds, dominating the first and leaving his rival’s eye so badly damaged in the second that a doctor had to stop the bout.
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Renato Moicano stops Benoit Saint-Denis in UFC Paris main event
There had been an expectation of a back-and-forth war between Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis going into Saturday’s big show at the Accor Arena. The French superstar was returning home off the back of three bonus-winning performances, looking to return to the win column.
He had just suffered a tough defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in what ended up being a number one contender fight for Islam Makhachev’s world title. And unfortunately, his misery was further compounded by a Moicano who arrived in peak form.
The Brazilian battered the home favourite from pillar to post in the first round, utterly dominating proceedings throughout a 10-8 round on all three scorecards. That impressive form continued through the second, where he left Saint-Denis with a gruesome eye injury.
Despite surprising calls from Michael Bisping on commentary for the bout to be continued, the fight was called off by doctors in the cage. It marks Moicano’s fourth consecutive win, with three of them coming by way of stoppage.
After UFC Paris win, Renato Moicano calls out Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker
Following the result being made official, Moicano was interviewed by Bisping in the octagon. And in the vein of Bryan Battle’s phenomenal heel promo earlier on the main card, he left a big impression on the microphone.
Amid a lengthy political rant regarding French Emmanuel Macron, Moicano also managed to call for his next opponent. He, of course, named Paddy Pimblett as one potential rival, but also included the name of number five-ranked Dan Hooker on the list.
"Next, I want easy money," Moicano said in the octagon. "Paddy Pimblett, easy money. Dan Hooker, easy money. Don't come up with bulls*** fights. Don't come up with guys that are tough.
“I want easy fights. I just beat a hell of an athlete everybody was talking about, Benoit Saint Denis. But guess what, Money Moicano is the man tonight."
Paddy Pimblett reacts to Renato Moicano’s UFC Paris callout
Following the initial callout, Pimblett instantly took to social media to give his reaction. He quoted Moicano’s wording, writing to his 3.2million followers: “Let's do this,” with a sunglasses emoji and the hashtag “#Easymoney”.
However, the Brazilian rowed back on his words in the post-fight press conference, telling his rival it would be a bad idea to accept the fight. "Please don't accept the fight," he said. "I'm going to hurt you. I'm going to elbow your skull.
"Right now, I'm looking for exposure. I'm looking for cameras because I've been in the UFC for 10 years. This year will be 10 years. Three years ago, nobody knew me. Nobody knew me, and I always work hard. I always have put in the work.
“But it doesn't matter if you're the best fighter in the world nobody knows. I want more cameras. I want more people talking about my name in MMA because that way I can bring more attention, and I can make my case to fight for the belt eventually."
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