Renato Moicano: 3 Recent Wins, 3 Finishes in Round 2

UFC 300, round 2. Jalin Turner hits the canvas under Renato Moicano's strikes, TKO. Since then, the Brazilian has suffered two losses, but also two more finishes in the second round. This guy doesn't mess around.

🥊 Quick Sheet

Name: Renato Moicano
Record: 21-7-1
Trademark: His three recent wins all ended with a finish in round 2

The High-Five Block

His last 5 results:

• ✅ Chris Duncan — Submission (R2) UFC Fight Night
• ❌ Beneil Dariush — Unanimous decision UFC 317
• ❌ Islam Makhachev — Submission (R1) UFC 311
• ✅ Benoît Saint Denis — KO/TKO (R2) UFC Fight Night
• ✅ Jalin Turner — KO/TKO (R2) UFC 300

Record in this stretch: 3 wins, 2 losses. Not undefeated, not untouchable. A guy who takes his lumps and dishes them out too.

The Origin Story

Born May 21, 1989 in Brasília, Moicano walks into this main event with a veteran's resume: 21-7-1. As for the rest of his youth, we won't make things up: nothing documented, so nothing in this article. But his style speaks for him.

The stats label him “Balanced.” He strikes, he takes it to the ground, he chokes. In his last five fights, he finished two by strikes and one by submission. His career finish rate is 69.2%. Almost seven fights out of ten don't reach the judges' scorecards. When Moicano wins, he doesn't leave it to the judges.

Round 2, His Specialty

Let's look back at the sequence that explains it all.

Act 1: the climb. UFC 300, Jalin Turner, TKO in round 2. Then Benoît Saint Denis, also TKO in round 2. Two finishes by strikes, two opponents who never saw the third round.

Act 2: the wall. UFC 311, Islam Makhachev. A unanimous decision loss after five rounds. Then UFC 317, Beneil Dariush: a loss on the scorecards, with no finish either way. Two losses in a row, and proof that against elite grapplers, Moicano can wobble.

Act 3: the comeback. Chris Duncan, submission in round 2. He came back on the attack, and he finished again.

The pattern is clear: he takes his time to settle in, then he closes it out. Three wins, three times in round 2. If you want to see him finish a fight, watch the clock after the first break.

So there's our hero of the day: not a robot, a finisher who sometimes takes damage but always knows the way out.

Useless Knowledge

• His last three wins all came in round 2. Not in the first, not in the third.
• His record shows 21-7-1. That “1” is a draw or a no contest, and our data doesn't specify which.
• He was born in Brasília, on May 21, 1989.

The MMX Eye

Let's be straight: we have no official data on Tom Nolan. No record, no stats, no style. So no numerical comparison, and we won't pretend otherwise. What we do know is what Moicano brings to the table.

• Strikes: 4.1 landed per minute vs. 3.6 absorbed. Slight edge.
• Accuracy: 49.2% on strikes.
• Defense: 59.7% of strikes evaded. In other words, about 4 out of 10 land.
• Grappling: 1.7 takedowns per 15 minutes, 40.4% accuracy, 64.3% takedown defense.

The stat to watch is that 64.3% takedown defense. As soon as an opponent takes him down, Moicano is in danger. Makhachev reminded us of that at UFC 311, controlling the fight on the ground for five rounds. If Nolan goes for the takedown, that will be the turning point.

For your pick in your league: Moicano is a reasonable favorite. He's headlining, he just submitted Duncan in round 2, and his finish rate is high. If he wins, a finish is the most likely scenario, maybe in round 2. But this pick stays provisional until we know something about Nolan. So it's half-safe at best: go for the finish, not for peace of mind.

Renato Moicano is a Brazilian finisher who sometimes loses, but never lets a fight drag on. Do you think he'll win his next fight? Come make your picks and challenge your friends on MMX.

📋 On the same card: Check out all the profiles for UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan

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