LAS VEGAS – The UFC Fight Night 235 co-main event between Renato Moicano and Drew Dober might look like a striker vs. grappler matchup on paper, but at least one side doesn’t consider it as such.
Despite Dober (27-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) entering Saturday’s lightweight bout at the UFC Apex (ESPN+) with the most knockout victories in UFC lightweight history, Moicano (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) thinks he has the advantage on the feet, on top of an even more clear gap in grappling skill.
“I’m not taking it easy on him – I don’t think he’s an easy fight,” Moicano told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 235 media day. “But I think I’m better than him. I think I’m more well-rounded. I think I can strike with him on the feet. Probably he has more power than me on the hands, right? Knockout artist. But at the end of the day, I think I’m even better than him on the striking. No disrespect to him, but I will beat him on Saturday.”
Moicano, 34, has won three of his past four fights, but he hasn’t competed since a first-round submission of Brad Riddell at UFC 281 in November 2022 due to injury. He considers himself as a formidable task for anyone at 155 pounds, however, he wants to get past this career-long layoff before making any bold claims about the future.
“It really depends how I finish the fight, how the fight goes, what happens, who is interviewing, who is on the mic,” Moicano said. “I have to wait because I don’t have anything planned (for the future).”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.
Renato Moicano says he’s superior striker to KO king Drew Dober entering UFC Fight Night 235
