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Renato Moicano does not believe that Cory Sandhagen has done enough to earn a crack at Sean O'Malley's UFC bantamweight championship. This is despite the fact that 'The Sandman' recently defeated Marlon 'Chito' Vera, who just faced 'Sugar' for the 135-pound title at UFC 299.
Moicano made the revelation on YouTube, where he interviewed Gilbert Burns, with the two discussing why 'Sugar' opted to face 'Chito' instead of Merab Dvalishvili.
Check out Renato Moicano interviewing Gilbert Burns:
However, it wasn't in the video itself that Moicano called for a Dvalishvili title shot. Instead, it came as a response to a fan comment calling for Sandhagen to be given a title shot due to his own win over 'Chito.' The Brazilian lightweight, however, feels that Dvalishvili is more deserving.
"Merab first"
This has been echoed by many fans, especially those who feel that O'Malley's desire to face Ilia Topuria instead of 'The Machine' amounts to ducking. In fact, the reaction to O'Malley's desired champion vs. champion bout was so negative that the bantamweight champion backtracked, to a degree, on his plans.
He acknowledged how eager the fans were to watch him fight Dvalishvili, but subsequently reiterated his desire to face Topuria for featherweight gold, saying so in his UFC 299 post-fight interview. O'Malley also hasn't ruled out a future bout at lightweight, where Moicano currently competes.
However, given the disparity in both men's ranks on the pound-for-pound list, there is little chance they will ever cross paths.
The Brazilian is coming off a competitive but convincing win over Drew Doober, and is on the cusp of cracking the top 10. He is currently scheduled to face Jalin Turner at UFC 300.
Renato Moicano came into the UFC undefeated and has faced two champions
While the current consensus on Renato Moicano is that he is a fun top 15 fighter with a well-rounded skill-set and big personality, there was a time when more was expected of him. Initially, he entered the UFC on an unbeaten run, with a record of 8–0–1, having once taken part in a draw.
His first three fights in the promotion were successful, but before long, he took on Brian Ortega and was choked out for his troubles. He has since gone on to face the who's who at both featherweight and lightweight, including former champions in José Aldo and Rafael dos Anjos, losing to both.
