Moicano plans to fight out UFC deal and test free agency after Vegas 123 headliner

Renato Moicano has set his sights on free agency, revealing he plans to fight out the three bouts remaining on his UFC contract before deciding where his career goes next. The 37-year-old lightweight makes the first of those appearances on Saturday, headlining UFC Vegas 123 against Tom Nolan at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.

“I want to fight this deal out for sure,” Moicano told MMA Fighting. “I want to do the whole thing and then let’s see what happens. I would like to be a free agent, too — just to see what it’s like.”

Moicano, known as “Money”, is candid about what will ultimately drive his decision. If the UFC’s financial offer after those three fights matches his market value, he is open to re-signing. If not, he has options — a YouTube channel, a gym, a fighter management venture in Brazil, and an MMA event he is promoting on December 5. He has even floated boxing and influencer work as possibilities, though he stops short of committing to any specific path.

“I’m not making any plans,” he said. “I have other stuff that I’m doing. So who knows?”

The Brazilian comes into Saturday’s main event having arrested a two-fight losing run. Back-to-back defeats — a championship stoppage to Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January 2025 and a decision loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 317 five months later — were followed by a second-round submission win over Chris Duncan in the UFC Vegas 115 main event in April.

The road to facing Nolan was not straightforward. Moicano was booked to rematch Brian Ortega twice this year, first at UFC 326 in March and again at UFC 331 in September, only for Ortega to withdraw on both occasions. When the UFC offered a third attempt — this time in Qatar — Moicano declined.

“I just cannot trust that he’s going to show up to the fight,” Moicano said bluntly. “Hell no, I’m not gonna fight Brian Ortega again.”

Instead, he turned his attention to Nolan, a lightweight riding a five-fight winning streak. With his wife expecting twins in December, Moicano says the timing of this bout was also personal — he needed to compete before family commitments take over.

Nolan represents a stern test for a fighter still working his way back into lightweight contention, but Moicano appears focused and motivated, with a clear sense of what the next chapter of his career could look like — whether inside the UFC or beyond it.