Renato Moicano thinks Benoit Saint Denis needs a change in training scenery if he wants to snap his two-fight losing skid after UFC Fight Night 243.
After scoring a second-round doctor’s stoppage TKO win over Saint Denis (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris, Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) extended an olive branch for his most recent opponent to come into his gym at American Top Team in South Florida.
“I invite Benoit Saint Denis to come to our gym, to train with us and I can guarantee he’s going to be another fighter,” Moicano told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 243 post-fight news conference. “He needs to get out of his comfort zone in my opinion. But I think he’s a great fighter and he’s still young. The problem is, they give him Dustin Poirier and ‘Money’ Moicano in a row. We are a different level now. But I think eventually he’s going to get there.”
Moicano said he thinks quite highly of Saint Denis. However, the limitations in the Frenchman’s game that Moicano saw during preparation also appeared in reality, and that’s going to be problematic if Saint Denis wants to reach the next level of the lightweight division.
The advice from Moicano is genuine, and he hopes Saint Denis will take it seriously.
“I really respect Benoit Saint Denis and what he did in this division,” Moicano said. “I think he’s very strong. I think he’s young. But I think he needs to work on his game. Because what makes him dangerous is what makes him vulnerable. He puts too much pressure. If he can touch you, he’s going to break you. But if he cannot touch you, it’s easy to see. Especially watching his fights and watch the way he stands up with fighters, he’s always going 100 percent. I was talking to my coaches that once I get this guy down, he’s going to make everything sweat and he’s going to be gassed, and that’s what happened.”
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