Renato Moicano says he has three fights left on his UFC contract, including his lightweight main event against Tom Nolan at UFC Vegas 123 on Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The 37-year-old plans to fight out the remainder of the deal and then explore free agency, saying he wants to see what the market holds. Moicano cited his YouTube channel, gym, fighter management work in Brazil and an MMA show on Dec. 5 as outside ventures, and did not rule out boxing or influencing down the line. He is coming off a second-round submission win over Chris Duncan in April after back-to-back losses to Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush.
Renato Moicano intends to see out his UFC contract and then test the open market, MMA Fighting reported. The lightweight says he has three fights remaining on his current deal, beginning with Saturday's main event against Tom Nolan at UFC Vegas 123 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Moicano, 37, said he wants to find out what free agency holds once the contract is complete. He pointed to a busy life outside the cage: a YouTube channel, a gym, fighter management work in Brazil and an MMA show scheduled for Dec. 5. He did not rule out boxing or becoming a full-time influencer down the line.
The Brazilian brings a 21-7-1 record and a No. 12 ranking at lightweight into the bout. He is coming off a second-round submission win over Chris Duncan on April 4, his most recent recorded fight, which followed back-to-back defeats. He lost a first-round submission to Islam Makhachev in a title fight in January 2025, then dropped a unanimous decision to Beneil Dariush that June. Moicano lands 4.1 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy and averages 1.68 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Nolan, a 26-year-old Australian from Team Compton Training Centre, is 10-1-0 and ranked 14th in the division. The southpaw lands 5.87 significant strikes per minute at 45 percent accuracy and averages 1.9 submission attempts per 15 minutes. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over Fares Ziam on June 6, and before that submitted Charlie Campbell in the first round in September 2025.
Why it matters
- Age and experience: Moicano is 11 years older than Nolan, and the main event pits a veteran weighing his future against a rising contender.
- Rankings: The two are separated by two spots, with Moicano 12th and Nolan 14th, so the result could reshuffle the lower end of the top 15.
- Style: Nolan holds a three-inch height edge (191 cm to 180 cm) and a 185 cm to 183 cm reach advantage, while Moicano takes more takedown attempts per 15 minutes (1.68 to 0.74). Nolan averages the higher striking output, and Moicano is the more accurate of the two.
Moicano's comments suggest the final stretch of his UFC run is beginning, with Saturday the first of three bouts he expects to fight before reaching free agency.
