Paddy Pimblett reacts after being called out for an “easy money” fight as his long-time rival scores controversial TKO victory in the UFC Paris main event

On Saturday night at UFC Paris, Moicano earned a controversial doctor's stopping victory over 12th-ranked Benoit Saint-Denis. He impressed in the two rounds, dominating the first and leaving his rival with such severe eye damage in the second that a doctor had to stop the fight.

Renato Moicano stops Benoit Saint-Denis in the main event of UFC Paris

Before Saturday's big show at the Accor Arena, one had expected a back and forth between Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis. The French superstar returned home after three bonus performances and hoped to get back in the win column.

He had just suffered a tough loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 299, which ended up being a number one contender fight for Islam Makhachev's world title. And unfortunately his misery was made worse by a Moicano who was in top form.

The Brazilian beat the home favorite from post to post in the first round and completely dominated the action throughout the entire 10-8 round on all three scorecards. This impressive form continued into the second when he left Saint-Denis with a horrific eye injury.

Despite surprising comments from Michael Bisping about continuing the fight, the fight was stopped by the doctors in the cage. It is Moicano's fourth straight win, with three of those coming by stoppage.

After the UFC Paris win, Renato Moicano calls out Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker

After the result was officially announced, Moicano was interviewed by Bisping in the Octagon. And in keeping with Bryan Battle's phenomenal heel promo earlier on the main card, he made a big impression on the mic.

Amid a long political tirade against Frenchman Emmanuel Macron, Moicano also managed to call out his next opponent. He of course mentioned Paddy Pimblett as a potential rival, but also included the name of fifth-placed Dan Hooker in the list.

“Next, I want easy money,” Moicano said in the octagon. “Paddy Pimblett, easy money. Dan Hooker, easy money. Don't get into bull fights. Don't come up with guys who are tough.

“I want easy fights. I just beat a damn good athlete that everyone was talking about: Benoit Saint Denis. But you know what, Money Moicano is the man tonight.”

Paddy Pimblett reacts to Renato Moicano's reference to UFC Paris

After the first tip-off, Pimblett immediately took to social media to express his reaction. He quoted Moicano's words and wrote to his 3.2 million followers: “Let's do this,” with a sunglasses emoji and the hashtag “#Easymoney.”

However, the Brazilian contradicted his words in the post-fight press conference, telling his rival that taking the fight was a bad idea. “Please don’t accept the fight,” he said. “I’m going to hurt you. I'm going to hit your skull with my elbow.

“Right now I’m looking for exposure. I'm looking for cameras because I've been in the UFC for 10 years. This year it will be 10 years. Three years ago nobody knew me. Nobody knew me and I always work hard. I have always put in a lot of work.

“But it doesn’t matter if you’re the best fighter in the world, nobody knows. I want more cameras. I want more people to talk about my name in MMA because that way I can get more attention and make a case for fighting for the belt at some point.”

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