Copyright MMA Fighting
Is Islam Makhachev a win or two away from retiring from mixed martial arts? The last man to share the octagon with him seems to think so. Renato Moicano jumped on the opportunity on 24 hours’ notice to face Makhachev for the lightweight title when his original challenger Arman Tsarukyan withdrew from UFC 311 due to health issues back in January, and he argues the Russian star is close to retirement now that he’s left the division. Makhachev moves up to welterweight to compete against 170-pound champion Jack Della Maddalena on Nov. 15, which headlines UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. With Makhachev seeking a second UFC belt after relinquishing his lightweight title, Moicano believes his former opponent could end up leaving the sport in 2025. “Let’s suppose he beats Jack Della Maddalena. He’s going to look for someone that’s more favorable and see if the UFC does that. If not, bye,” Moicano told MMA Fighting. “And if he wins one more, also bye. And he’s right, can’t stay too much longer. It’s like I say — I did a video about Jose Aldo and got a lot of hate. ‘Oh, you’re talking about Jose Aldo’s legacy.’ As a fan, I didn’t like that he came back. He could have ended his career a better way.” For Moicano, the former UFC and WEC featherweight champion should have called it a career when he returned from retirement to beat Jonathan Martinez in Rio de Janeiro. Instead, Aldo lost back-to-back decisions to Mario Bautista and Aiemann Zahabi, match-ups that “prime Aldo” would have won. “People were like, ‘How about you, losing fights and continue fighting?’” Moicano continued. “But I’m not Jose Aldo, I’m not Islam Makhachev, I’m Renato Moicano. I’m fighting [for money]. I’ll be like Tony Ferguson, seven losses in a row [laughs]. Now, if you have a big legacy, if you’re undefeated, brother, win the belt and walk away because if you continue fighting, you’ll lose. Do like Khabib [Nurmagomedov], take the belt and let people say whatever they want. Brother, go live the rest of your life as an undefeated champion. That’s what I think. “Islam Makhachev, even though he lost to Adriano Martins — so he will never be compared to Khabib because of that —, he’s a protege of Khabib. But if he goes up and wins the 170 belt, you better retire, brother. You already have the money, already have the recognition, so it’s an entire life bearing the fruits of the seeds he planted.”
