Renato Moicano Takes on Rafael Dos Anjos on Short Notice After Rafael Fiziev’s Withdrawal From UFC 272

Rafael Dos Anjos finally has an opponent for UFC 272. After a lot of back and forth between him and fighters such as Islam Makhachev and Tony Ferguson, it seems like Renato Moicano will step in on 5 days’ notice.

He was originally slated to face Rafael Fiziev. But the Fiziev, unfortunately, had to withdraw from this weekend’s mega event due to testing positive for COVID-19. He is currently isolated in his hotel room. But that left the former UFC lightweight champion without an opponent.

5️⃣ rounds on 5️⃣ days notice!@MoicanoUFC steps in to face @RdosAnjosMMA in your ???????????? #UFC272 co-main event ????

[ #UFC272 | Saturday | Live on ESPN+ PPV: 3K2nVJI ] pic.twitter.com/yX5pCI1MWC

— UFC (@ufc) March 1, 2022

Islam Makhachev tweeted and expressed his interest in fighting the Brazilian. Tony Ferguson also seemed willing to fight Dos Anjos at UFC 272. But ultimately the company has finalized a fellow Brazilian, Renato Moicano for the event. The fight will take place at a catchweight of 160lbs and It will be a 5 round fight.

Rafael Dos Anjos vs Renato Moicano: who wins?

After losing his 155 lbs belt to Eddie Alvarez, Rafael Dos Anjos left the division for welterweight. Although he made it all the way to an interim title shot against Colby, the move did not work out ultimately. After running into guys who are bigger in size, Dos Anjos suffered some bad losses.

He came back down to lightweight against Paul Felder in 2020 and won via split decision. Renato Moicano on the other hand is on a move up to lightweight. He has had 4 fights so far in the division and has won 3 of them. Ironically, Renato’s only defeat at this division came against Rafael Fiziev.

Both Dos Anjos and Moicano are black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. Hence, the fight on match-up is very well balanced. However, Moicano is more willing to engage in a striking battle whereas Dos Anjos is very comfortable on the ground.

Moicano has a history of getting finished at the elite level. Plus the late notice for the bout may also work against him. Rafael Dos Anjos will be the favourite to win the fight. However, it is ultimately the fight game. One big punch can change everything in a matter of a moment.