Renato Moicano issues bold prediction for Benoit Saint Denis vs. Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Paris: "He's pretty good"

Renato Moicano believes Benoit Saint Denis vs. Mauricio Ruffy will be a one-sided fight and likely end in a first-round finish.

Ruffy, a standout from the Fighting Nerds camp and a promising lightweight prospect, will enter enemy territory to face Saint Denis at the UFC Paris event on Sept. 6.

During his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Moicano was asked if he would be interested in fighting Ruffy should his compatriot lose to Saint Denis. Moicano, who defeated Saint Denis by second-round TKO at UFC Paris in September last year, confidently predicted:

"I don't think that card is on the table. I don't think Ruffy is losing to BSD. Not any chance. I think he will knock BSD out in the first round. I think Ruffy, he is the future of the lightweight division. He's pretty good. I know he was not tested, but because a lot of stuff was going on. Bobby Green isn’t an easy guy to knock out like that, and he did it in the first round. Of course, Bobby Green is a little bit older right now, but I think Ruffy is the real deal." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Check out Renato Moicano's comments below (7:49):

---

Renato Moicano on potentially facing Michael Chandler next

Renato Moicano has hit a rough patch in his professional MMA career lately, losing consecutive fights against Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush. This followed an impressive four-fight win streak, during which he secured three finishes.

Moicano has previously expressed interest in facing former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler. In the aforementioned episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Moicano was asked if he would like to face Chandler next. He responded:

"I think the fight [against Chandler] will be great. But I think he'll still wait for McGregor. I don't think that's happening. But, I think he will wait for that." [6:20]

For context, Chandler was expected to face Conor McGregor after TUF Season 31, where they served as rival coaches. The fight was delayed multiple times due to McGregor's issues with USADA and commitments for the movie 'Road House'.

The fight was scheduled for UFC 303 in June last year, but McGregor withdrew due to a toe injury and later announced his retirement. Observers believe that waiting for the McGregor fight was a mistake that cost Chandler two years of his career and derailed a potential title run.

Recently, McGregor hinted at returning to competition to face Chandler at the rumored UFC White House card.

Chandler, who is coming off a lopsided third-round TKO defeat against Paddy Pimblett, does not have a fight scheduled as of now.