Moicano targets Topuria as 'easy fight' after UFC Vegas 123 main event

Renato Moicano has set his sights on Ilia Topuria as a potential next opponent, claiming the Georgian star needs a manageable fight to rebuild his confidence after suffering a knockout defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC White House in June. Moicano made the remarks ahead of his main-event clash with Tom Nolan at UFC Vegas 123, a bout arranged after his original UFC 331 opponent Brian Ortega was ruled out with a cut.

“Ilia Topuria. That’s a name,” Moicano told MMA Fighting. “He needs an easy fight, right? That’s the truth. We know how the UFC operates. Either they sacrifice him and Paddy Pimblett against each other, or they’ll give him a fight to keep rolling, so the guy can get his confidence back. And I think his confidence is broken.”

Topuria entered the Gaethje fight with a perfect 17-0 professional record and had won his first nine UFC bouts, finishing seven opponents — including Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Alexander Volkanovski — on his way to becoming a two-division champion. The loss at the White House event represented one of the most high-profile upsets in recent UFC history.

Moicano was candid about the risks involved in facing a motivated Topuria, acknowledging that the defeat could have sharpened rather than dulled the 27-year-old’s edge.

“It would be a tough fight because I think this guy is pissed off,” Moicano said. “He must be training like an animal. But that’s life. I think that fight would make sense. I don’t know if the UFC will make it happen.”

The Brazilian veteran was equally blunt in his assessment of how Topuria lost to Gaethje, suggesting overconfidence played a decisive role. “He thought he could knock out a guy who’s difficult to knock out,” Moicano said. “It’s one thing to say that, it’s another thing to step into the cage and act as if it’s true. He took so much damage, got beaten up so badly, that he was destroyed. It was a total humiliation — one of the biggest upsets, losing on the biggest spectacle the UFC has ever had.”

Despite the pointed language, Moicano stopped short of committing to the callout, saying he prefers to let the moment guide him after a fight. He added that Topuria “seems like an intelligent guy who will learn from his mistake” and is capable of returning to the top of the division.

Moicano first needs to get past Nolan at UFC Vegas 123 before any matchmaking conversation becomes relevant. Whether the UFC would entertain pairing Topuria with a veteran like Moicano — rather than a higher-profile name — remains to be seen.