UFC Greenville’s Renato Moicano Reflects On Jose Aldo Defeat

UFC featherweight contender Renato Moicano believes he was too calm in his defeat to Jose Aldo earlier this year.

Moicano takes on “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in the main event of UFC Greenville this Saturday. He will be attempting to bounce back from just his second UFC defeat after suffering a second-round TKO defeat to Aldo at UFC Fortaleza in February.

Despite a loss and what he feels was an early stoppage, the Brazilian took the positives from the experience:

“Life is so wonderful that it shows you the right path to go, and sometimes having to take a step back helps you a lot,” Moicano told MMA Fighting recently. “Jose Aldo is someone I respect a lot, I have no shame in admitting that he’s my idol, but that fight showed me I can stand with him and the best fighters.”

Aldo is a legend of the sport, and facing him meant a lot more eyeballs and attention on Moicano. He claims it got to the point where people spoke to him all the time and predicted he would emerge victorious. That, ultimately, might have led to his downfall:

“I got a lot of attention from fans, people coming to talk to me all the time, and maybe I didn’t handle that really well,” Moicano explained. “People saying I was going to beat Jose Aldo, maybe I let that carry myself too much and didn’t dedicate to the big task I had ahead of me, which was beating Jose Aldo.

“I should have gotten more focused, I was fighting in Brazil and everybody talking about me being the betting favorite. I was too calm in there, and we can’t underestimate someone like Jose Aldo, a knockout artist, the best featherweight of all times. I’ve learned that we have to be the same way, no matter who we’re fighting.

“This is our life. It’s kill or be killed. A loss means a lot, a win means a lot. A loss means many steps back and no one cares about you. If you win, you’re good. If you lose, you’re bad. I’ve learned to stay focused on myself and not think about others.”

Moicano will be able to show what he’s learned from his defeat to Aldo against Jung in what promises to be a fan-friendly fight this weekend. The 30-year-old isn’t stopping short in selling the fight either:

“It’s going to be a great five-round fight and I’m working hard to do my best,” Moicano added. “I believe it’s gonna be the fight of the year.”