Renato ‘Moicano’ makes a last minute replacement for Rafael Fiziev, against Rafael Dos Anjos this weekend. This is first and foremost a fight between two grapplers, with Moicano probably having the edge on the feet. How does it play out?
Rafael Dos Anjos vs Renato Moicano Prediction
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What I’d like to say first is what an incredible resumé both fighters have. Both RDA and Moicano have only lost to the absolute best in their divisions. This will actually be a catchweight bout at 160lbs, so it’ll be interesting to see just how big both fighters will be on fight night.
RDA is an ever persistent wrestling and grappling threat. He has strength on the feet, but rarely does he have the edge in the striking, a majority of his wins have come by submission and decision only. He will be 3 inches shorter than the crafty Moicano, lending his opponent the reach advantage.
RDA has been struggling to put it together as of late, going 5-5 in his last 10. His most recent fight was against another late notice fighter in Paul Felder, whom he smothered against the fence with his wrestling for almost the full 25 minutes. It wasn’t the best performance, but at the very least he demonstrated decent cardio.
Renato Moicano doesn’t have a knockout to his name, but I think he’s a bigger striking threat than RDA in this fight. Not only does Moicano have the height/reach advantage, he has very crisp boxing and a superb jab. In terms of cardio and conditioning, Moicano is only 3 weeks removed from his last fight against Alexander Hernandez, so he should still be prepared.
I predict that Renato Moicano will stand tall and pump his jab in RDA’s face whenever the two are on their feet. Moicano still has the fearsome grappling abilities to give RDA trouble in the grappling exchanges. I think Moicano’s grappling neutralizes RDA’s strongest asset, and he wins very handily by piecing RDA up on the feet.
My pick – Renato Moicano by UD
Rafael Dos Anjos vs Renato Moicano Betting
Oddschecker has Moicano as a 17/10 underdog to win out right, which should be very tempting.
Thank you for reading, drop a comment below with your own picks!
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