‘Money’ by name, ‘Money’ by nature: Although Renato Moicano was submitted in the first round at UFC 311, his stock didn’t drop – and neither did his earnings.
It’s a tricky spot for Moicano. On one side, the fan-favourite lightweight may never get another shot at a UFC title. On the other, he’s cemented his status as one of the most beloved fighters on the roster, and he’s certainly been well compensated for it. But just how much did he make at UFC 311?
Renato Moicano Reveals He Made Nearly $1M at UFC 311 Despite Big Tax Hit.
Following UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano, the California State Athletic Commission released the base salaries for all the fighters who completed on January 18th. According to the initial report, Renato Moicano earned a base salary of $250,000.
However, the popular Brazilian revealed that his earnings were much higher than that, even before factoring in sponsorships and endorsements – of which he likely had plenty. In total, Renato Moicano made a hefty $950,000. But while that’s a sweet paycheck, ‘Money’ wasn’t exactly thrilled with how much of it went to taxes, instead of landing directly in his pocket.
“Man, f*** California, brother. If you live in California, I feel for you,” Moicano said. “That state is a piece of s***. I think California is worse than New York… The taxes were crazy, crazy.”
Moicano also mentioned that the surge in Pay-Per-View buys after Arman Tsarukyan’s withdrawal benefited him. Speaking about this on the Show Me The Money Podcast Moicano said:
“Somebody told me that after Arman pulled out, they sold even more Pay-Per-Views,”
“Because everybody was excited about the late-notice change of opponent. You don’t see that many times in the UFC.”
Teasing his payday. Moicano joked, “I got a nice check,” before his co-host segued into a game of ‘Higher or Lower’ based on the current price of Bitcoin. With Moicano’s clear nods of approval, it’s evident that he made ‘Over nine Bitcoin” for the fight . This meant he earned at least $950,000 from his title fight with Islam Makhachev.
Renato Moicano Opens Up About UFC 311 Loss and Teases Possible Fight with Paddy Pimblett
The podcast episode aired just days after UFC 311. However, Moicano had already shared a full reaction video on his YouTube channel less than 48 hours after the event.
In the video, the Brazilian explained how hearing the LA crowd boo Makhachev’s early takedown made him want to get back to his feet immediately -even if it meant putting himself at risk of being submitted.
“The crowd started to boo, and I thought, ‘Man, I have to get back on my feet because I’m doing well on the feet,’”
“That was the issue. Even though he wasn’t landing clean punches or effective ground and pound, I just wanted to get back up so I could strike.”
“When I started creating space during the scrambles to stand up, he gave me the impression I could put my foot on his hips and get back up. But he did that to set up the choke. He grabbed me with the D’arce and was so fast. That’s why I tapped so quickly—it was so tight.”
Renato Moicano didn’t take much damage in the title fight, so we might see him back in action sooner than expected. Could Renato Moicano vs Paddy Pimblett’s fight finally come together by mid-2025?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
