Moicano destroys Saint Denis in UFC Paris main event

Renato Moicano went into enemy territory and made a massive statement against Benoit Saint Denis.

Moicano defeated France's Saint Denis via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at the end of the second round in the UFC Paris main event Saturday at Accor Arena.

The cageside doctor determined Saint Denis couldn't see out of his right eye.

Moicano was winning the fight 19-18 on all three judges' scorecards after two rounds.

The damage to Saint Denis' face occurred almost entirely in the first round. Moicano came out on fire, scoring a takedown 25 seconds into the fight and mangling Saint Denis with ground-and-pound. Moicano kept his opponent on the ground until the end of the stanza, landing devastating elbows from full mount and also controlling the action from Saint Denis' back. All three judges gave Moicano a 10-8 score.

Saint Denis rallied in the second, outlanding Moicano 21-15 in significant strikes and fending off multiple takedown attempts to sweep the round on the judges' scorecards. But the Frenchman was too busted up for the fight to continue.

After the victory, Moicano called for "easy fights" against Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker.

Following the bout, Moicano revealed that he had injured his shoulder three weeks ago but didn't want to pull out of the fight.

Moicano, the No. 11-ranked lightweight contender, is now riding a four-fight winning streak. The 35-year-old hasn't lost in the Octagon since facing former champion Rafael dos Anjos in March 2022.

Saint Denis suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old was coming off a second-round knockout defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in March. Before that, Saint Denis, ranked No. 12, won five straight between 2022-23 to put himself on the map as a top prospect in the division.

In the UFC Paris co-main event, No. 4-ranked middleweight Nassourdine Imavov earned a unanimous decision win over No. 8 Brendan Allen to lift his unbeaten streak to four. Imavov, who resides in France, called for a shot at the 185-pound title next.