Renato Moicano reacts to Charles Do Bronx's fight announcement and points the way to victory at UFC Rio

Renato Moicano (right) and Charles do Bronx (left) are standouts in the UFC lightweight division. Photo: SUPER LUTAS montage

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Renato Moicano welcomes the announcement of the duel between Charles Do Bronx and Rafael Fiziev as the main event of UFC Rio, scheduled for October 11th. However, the Brazilian's enthusiasm gives way to concern when analyzing the risks the fight may represent for the former champion, especially in strategic and technical terms.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Moicano pointed out that choosing Charles raised the level of the event, but it could come at a high cost to his career. According to him, although the Brazilian has already overcome similar challenges, such as against Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier , the clash of styles makes this fight especially dangerous.

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“It saved UFC Rio, but at the cost of destroying Charles Oliveira’s career… Let’s be honest, Charles’ career was built on moments like this, like with Justin Gaethje , and Dustin Poirier himself . So, it’s not like he didn’t have a chance to win. It’s just a strategically bad fight,” said Moicano.

Moicano sees ground as the only path to Charles Do Bronx

Analyzing the technical matchup, the Brazilian fighter highlighted that striking favors Rafael Fiziev and that Charles Oliveira 's best chance of victory would be on the ground. However, he emphasized the Kyrgyz fighter's solid takedown defense, which could make executing this strategy difficult.

“The first thing I think is: can Charles fight him standing up? I think if he fights standing up, he’s going to get knocked out. So, he has to take him down. Who managed to take him down? Rafael dos Anjos is a good takedown artist and he couldn’t take him down. So, he has good takedown defense. Will Charles be able to take him down? It’s not an impossible mission, but it’s very difficult,” continued the Brazilian.

The duel against Fiziev will mark Charles do Bronx 's seventh appearance at UFC events in Brazil, but his debut on Rio de Janeiro soil. The former champion has won all the fights he has had in the octagon on Brazilian soil, the last of which was against Kevin Lee in Brasília in 2020.

With Charles Oliveira vs. Rafael Fiziev confirmed as the main event, UFC Rio will take place on October 11th at Farmasi Arena, located in the western part of Rio de Janeiro. So far, the other Brazilian fighters confirmed for the event are: Vitor Petrino , Jhonata Diniz , Julia Polastri , Bia Mesquita , and Lucas Rocha.

Moicano points out Rafael Fiziev as the only one superior to him

R. Fiziev (left) defeated R. Moicano (right) at UFC 256. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Renato Moicano 's apprehension regarding the fight between Charles Oliveira and Rafael Fiziev stems from his own experience against the Kyrgyz fighter. The Brazilian recalled that, among all the opponents he faced in the UFC, Fiziev was the only one who made him doubt his ability to win, mainly due to his superior striking.

"The only guy I didn't think I could beat after the fight was Fiziev. I thought he was really good. I had that feeling during the fight: he went head-to-head, I tried a takedown, and when I saw the punch, I thought, 'What am I doing here, man?'... The fight with Fiziev was the only one where I tapped him, and I felt like his striking was much better than mine," Moicano said in an interview with Sexto Round.

Rafael Fiziev is undefeated against Brazilians in the UFC

R. Dos Anjos (right) was defeated by R. Fiziev (left) at UFC Las Vegas 58. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFC

Rafael Fiziev , for his part, arrives at UFC Rio with an excellent record against Brazilians. A Muay Thai specialist, the lightweight (up to 70,3kg) has already defeated Renato Moicano and Rafael dos Anjos , both by knockout, using a precise left cross as his main weapon.

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