Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping thinks Renato Moicano is in for a shock when he makes the walk in the French capital.
Mixed martial arts' leading promotion is back in Paris this week to stage its third event in France. The appetite for events in the country has consistently increased since MMA was legalized there in 2020, and the enthusiasm for the sport has been evident at the two UFC Fight Nights staged at the Accor Arena thus far.
The cards, which were both headlined by Ciryl Gane, delivered in terms of both the action inside the Octagon and the atmosphere within the arena, which picked up whenever the country's own athletes were in action.
Not many nations replicate the kind of hostile environment for opposition fighters that France does, and Moicano stands to experience that firsthand this weekend when he headlines opposite Benoît Saint Denis.
During TNT Sports' Fight Week Preview for Saturday's UFC Fight Night in Paris, Bisping looked ahead to the event and recounted his experience commentating inside Paris' Accor Arena.
While "The Count" gave Moicano props for his abilities and self-belief, he insisted that the fan-favorite lightweight contender is in for a surprise when he clashes with Saint Denis in the Frenchman's own backyard.
Every time they've been to Paris, the crowd has been phenomenal. The fights have been great, but I'm telling you, the atmosphere has been electric," Bisping said. "This will be no different because in the main event, it's the French Special Forces, the ridiculously violent and aggressive Benoît Saint Denis. The man that almost, almost decapitated and finished Dustin Poirier.
In steps the opponent, Renato 'Money' Moicano, a man that is also slowly doing his own thing, becoming a star in the lightweight division as well," Bisping continued. "Saint Denis is going to be extra violent because he's in Paris. ... Renato Moicano, even though he's really good, and he's really skilled, and he's got great jiu-jitsu, and he's very confident, and he's good with the fists, has got no idea what he is stepping into. He's flying into enemy territory, and I'm telling you, I cannot wait for this.
Moicano will look to prove Bisping wrong by handling the hostile reception he receives from the French crowd with poise, and subsequently repeating the feat when it comes to dealing with Saint Denis' offense inside the cage.
While the Brazilian is fighting down the rankings, a victory over the man whom his teammate Dustin Poirier defeated to secure a title shot earlier this year would no doubt be a big scalp on his record and pursuit of an opportunity at the gold himself.
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