Renato Moicano reveals he wanted to attack a UFC legend before becoming a fan.

Mohawk at the UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

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Renato Moicano once wanted to attack Chael Sonnen before acknowledging the American's genius. The Brazilian, who ended a bad streak by defeating Chris Duncan at UFC Vegas 115, is currently seen as one of the fighters with the best communication skills in the organization and doesn't hide his inspiration from Anderson Silva 's former rival , someone he admits to having hated in the past before coming to admire him.

In an interview with 'UFC on Paramount', Moicano recalled the strong discomfort he felt with Sonnen's provocations towards Brazilian idols when he was still a teenager. According to the fighter, the intensity of the criticism of Anderson Silva 's legacy even sparked in him the desire to travel to a UFC event with the intention of assaulting the American. Over the years, however, the Brazilian completely changed his view, coming to see Sonnen as an extremely intelligent communicator.

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“Two guys that everyone in Brazil hates: Conor McGregor and Chael Sonnen . When I was 15-16 years old, I admired Anderson Silva , and so did José. Chael talked so much trash about Anderson Silva that I thought about buying a plane ticket to go to a UFC event just to give Chael Sonnen a surprise punch . Today I see him and think: this guy is a fucking genius, because, you know, how smart do you have to be to make a 16-year-old kid want to punch you just because of your microphone skills,” said Renato Moicano.

Renato Moicano breaks his losing streak in the UFC.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 04: in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Meta APEX on April 4, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

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With his victory over Chris Duncan , Renato Moicano ended the worst losing streak of his career. The Brazilian had suffered two consecutive defeats, one by submission to Islam Makhachev and the other by judges' decision against Beneil Dariush.

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