Renato Moicano returned from a long layoff and picked up another impressive win after a grappling heavy performance helped him beat Drew Dober in the UFC Vegas 85 co-main event.
In what was expected to be a war from the start, Moicano turned to his takedowns after Dober connected with some stiff punches early in the opening round. Time after time, Moicano found a way to get inside and drag Dober to the canvas, which is where he inflicted the majority of his damage over three rounds.
When it was over, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Moicano as he secured his second win in a row overall in the UFC.
“I am one of the biggest Drew Dober fans,” Moicano saida afterwards. “I saw him knocking other people out. Today, I just beat the motherf******. Huge respect for Drew Dober.”
Dober wasted no time unleashing a barrage of heavy punches that started to find a home on Moicano’s chin. That led to the Brazilian snatching a takedown, landing on top of Dober and he immediately began hammering away with ground and pound.
Despite Dober’s best efforts to scramble free, Moicano was like a brick wall pressing down on him, slipping through with short punches and elbows in succession.
The restart in round two barely offered Dober any reprieve because Moicano quickly slipped inside and grabbed onto the body lock to bring the fight crashing back to the canvas again. Moicano continued to put pressure as he attempted to get through Dober’s defense on the ground.
Dober never gave Moicano a second to rest and that allowed him to finally break free as he returned the favor with a takedown of his own. During the wild exchange a clash of heads opened a nasty cut over Moicano’s right eye as blood began pouring down his face.
With five minutes remaining, Dober looked like the fresher fighter and he tried to take advantage on the feet with several stinging punches. Moicano continued firing back and just after he snapped off a straight punch that connected on Dober’s chin, he managed to get another takedown.
Moicano kept looking to advance his position as he peppered away at Dober from the top position. As time ticked away, Moicano briefly got to the mount but ultimately settled into Dober’s half guard as he kept digging to the head and body with his punches until time expired.
Following a year-plus long absence from the sport while recovering from a knee injury, Moicano got back to form on Saturday with another win against a very dangerous opponent in Dober. He’ll now look for another step up in the lightweight division with hopes to stay busier for the remainder of 2024.
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