
'That's crazy money'… Renato Moicano stuns fans by revealing how much he made to fight Islam Makhachev

23/01/2025 21:07
'Money' by name, 'Money' by nature: Despite being submitted in the first round at UFC 311, Renato Moicano's stock certainly didn't go down – and neither did his bank account.
It's a tough situation for Renato Moicano. On one hand, the fan-favorite lightweight might not get the chance to compete for a UFC championship title ever again.
On the other, he's solidified himself as one of the most popular athletes on the entire roster and made a pretty penny doing so; but how much did he make from UFC 311?
Renato Moicano reveals staggering payday from Islam Makhachev fight
In the immediate aftermath of UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano, the California State Athletic Commission released the base purses for each of the fighters who competed on January 18.
According to that initial report, Renato Moicano earned himself a base salary of $250,000.
However, the popular Brazilian has now revealed that he made much more than a quarter-million – and that's before sponsorships and endorsements, of which we imagine there are plenty.
"Somebody told me that after Arman pulled out, they sold even more Pay-Per-Views," Moicano stated via the Show Me The Money Podcast, citing the surge in buys was "because everybody was excited" about the late-notice change of opponent.
"You don't see that many times [in the UFC].
"I got a nice check," teased the popular lightweight, before his co-host began a 'Higher or Lower' game based on the current price of Bitcoin.
As per Moicano's not-to-subtle nods of approval, he made 'over nine Bitcoin' in total; meaning that he earned a minimum of $950,000 from his title fight against Islam Makhachev.
Whilst $950,000 is a rather sweet payday, 'Money' certainly wasn't happy with the fact that a large portion of that sum went to the taxman, rather than straight into his back pocket.
"Man, f*** California brother – if you live in California, I feel for you brother. That state is a piece of s*** brother, I think California is worse [than New York] … The taxation was crazy, crazy."
- WOW: Islam Makhachev leaves fans stunned after piling on massive 23lbs in 24 hours for UFC 311 main event
Moicano explains why 'crowd support' became a problem at UFC 311
That podcast episode came a few days after UFC 311 went into the books, although Moicano did share a full reaction video to his YouTube channel less than 48 hours after the event.
In that video, the Brazilian noted that hearing boos from the LA crowd to Makhachev's early takedown made him want to immediately get back to his feet, even if that meant putting himself at risk of being tapped out.
"The crowd started to boo, and I said, 'Man, I have to get back on the feet because I'm doing very well on the feet'. That was the problem.
"Even though he wasn't finding the space to punch me or do effective ground and pound, I just wanted to get back on the feet so I could score on the striking.
"When I started to create the space in the scrambles to get back on the feet, he kind of gave me the sense that I could put my foot on his hips and get back up.
"But he did that so I could expose my neck. Then he grabbed with a D'arce choke and was very fast. That's why I tapped so fast because it was very locked."
Moicano didn't receive much damage in that title fight, meaning we could see him back in action much sooner than many realize – could a Renato Moicano vs Paddy Pimblett bout finally come to fruition by mid-2025?