Brazilian UFC lightweight Renato Moicano recalled his bout with former division champion, Dagestani Islam Makhachev.
In January, Moicano stepped in to replace the injured Tsarukyan and lost to Makhachev by submission in the first round.
"I was already cutting weight when they told me I had to fight the champion. But no one equals Islam, he is the best or second-best fighter in the UFC. I consider him number one. For a title fight, the weight had to be perfect, so I was sitting in the bath and crying thinking: 'I will become the champion.' I earned a lot for that fight. I was able to agree on new contract terms, so for the fight with Islam, I received the biggest fee of my career. It was money that changed my life.
No matter how much money they paid me, I was upset and disappointed. I thought it was my moment. It was the perfect ending to my journey. In MMA, everyone has a chance. Imagine if I had knocked out Islam? That would have been powerful. And it could have happened!" Moicano stated in an interview with UFC Brazil.
