‘Irrational Beyond Words’ UFC Loudmouth Renato Moicano Criticized for Rejecting Settlement Money originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The UFC’s landmark $375 million antitrust settlement was meant to rectify years of alleged fighter underpayment, offering a rare financial lifeline to nearly 1,200 current and former athletes. Stemming from a decade-long lawsuit accusing the promotion of monopolistic practices, the payout was a chance for fighters to reclaim lost earnings.
For many, it was a long-overdue correction; for others, a bittersweet compromise. Yet the settlement’s intent, to redistribute wealth and acknowledge systemic exploitation, has been undermined by some unlikely detractors, including a fighter who turned down his share on ideological grounds.
During an episode of his own podcast, ironically titled Show Me the Money, UFC ranked lightweight Renato Moicano revealed that he refused to accept his share of the $375 million settlement, which he claims would have been $200,000.
“You know how much I love the UFC? I did not take the money that they sent to the fighters,” Moicano admitted. “All the fighters that got the money, they are f — … no morals. [They want] the free check, the free money.”
Moicano has long been vocal about his libertarian beliefs, preaching free-market principles in post-fight rants and podcast sermons. He then mocked his fellow fighters for taking their own share of the settlement with what was, frankly, an inappropriate allegory.
“This is like, let’s say, you get a girl today and you f — her, and like two years later she says, ‘hey that guy r — me,’ you know?” Moicano explained.
Not only did he disregard collective fighter struggles, but he did so using the most tone-deaf comparison he could think of. With this comment, it seems he does not care to alienate the very peers who have fought for his own better conditions.
While Moicano frames his stance as a moral victory, people on the internet have criticized him, seeing it as a performative gesture that ignores the realities of a sport where most athletes scrape by on short-notice paychecks and no healthcare.
Combat sports journalist Luke Thomas reacted to the clip, posting on X, “This is emblematic and why I talk a lot less about fighter pay these days. Some literally do not want money they are rightfully owed. Irrational beyond words.”
Combat sports social media account Caposa (@GrabakaHitman on X) responded to Thomas in jest in a post that read, “‘Money isn’t everything’- Money Moicano (Show Me The Money podcast).”
His libertarian rants, Bitcoin evangelism, and book recommendations during post-fight interviews often overshadow his actual UFC career at 12-7. This latest stunt feels like another attempt to cement his “free-market rebel” persona, even as it dismisses the UFC’s documented history of coercive contracts.
In a sport where fighters bleed for peanuts, Moicano’s rejection isn’t brave like he thinks. It’s baffling.
Related: Ex-Fighters Express Frustration With UFC Antitrust Lawsuit Settlement
