Cub Swanson and Renato Moicano are headed to Tinseltown under the bright lights of Hollywood’s UFC 227 extravaganza.
Cub Swanson (25-9) is eager to bounce back from his loss to Frankie Edgar last month and will do so by going home to take out his pent-up frustration on rising featherweight Renato Moicano. A mainstay in the promotion, Cub Swanson has taken home a staggering five Fight of the Night awards and has earned notable victories over names like Dustin Poirier, Jeremy Stephens, and Doo Hoo Choi, in a classic many considered the best fight of 2016. Swanson will now look to stop #9 ranked Renato Moicano (12-1-1), who originally issued the challenge to Swanson following his unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar at UFC 223.
Renato Moicano has proven to be a quiet contender in the UFC featherweight division and, despite being hushed to a level 9, has made more noise than the ranking seems to indicate. Moicano owns a victory over #4 ranked Jeremy Stephens and has suffered only one loss in his entire career, which came to current #1 contender Brian Ortega in a fight Moicano appeared to be clearly ahead prior to the come-from-behind guillotine submission by Ortega in the final round. This is a major opportunity for Moicano, as a win over Swanson would mean two victories over top 5 featherweights to add to his impressive résumé that only has one blemish.
A victory over Swanson while staying very active in the process would make it difficult to argue for anything less than a #4 ranking for the Brazilian. But on the other side of the Octagon planning to keep Moicano in his place is the California native who will be looking to send Renato Moicano to la-la land and make him famous in a highlight reel.
Who is your pick to win this critical featherweight bout?
