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Andreas Hale, ESPN
Behind a savage first-round beating, Renato Moicano defeated Benoît Saint Denis by doctor’s stoppage after two rounds Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Paris.
Moicano denied the rabid fans at the Accor Arena a reason to celebrate, ravaging Saint Denis from the opening bell with vicious ground-and-pound. Although Saint Denis survived the first round, his face was bloodied and battered with both eyes swelling at a rapid pace.
The Frenchman made a better account for himself in the second round, but the early beating he absorbed had already taken its toll.
With Saint Denis’ right eye swollen shut and his left eye not too far behind, the cageside doctor stepped in before the start of the third round and urged the referee to stop the fight due to Saint Denis’ inability to see out of his right eye.
Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) entered the fight as the UFC’s No. 11-ranked lightweight and picked up his fourth straight win. Afterward, he sent a message to the lightweight division.
“I want easy money — Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker,” Moicano said. “I don’t want fights that are tough, I want easy fights. I just beat a hell of an athlete. Everybody was talking about Benoît Saint Denis, but guess what, ‘Money’ Moicano is the man tonight.”
A loud and supportive crowd had been festive the entire night until Moicano’s stunning opening round. Moicano opened the fight as the aggressor and swooped in for a takedown just seconds into the fight. Before Saint Denis could react, Moicano had snaked around to his back, used a body triangle to transition to full mount and slammed elbows and punches into the Frenchman’s head. Accor Arena fell nearly silent as Saint Denis suffocated underneath Moicano’s heavy top control.
Wearing a crimson mask over a face that was quickly turning purple from the bruising, Saint Denis (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) sought to change his fortunes in the second round and made a good account for himself with his striking. But Moicano remained patient and worked behind the jab as both of Saint Denis’ eyes began to swell shut.
When Saint Denis returned to his corner, it was clear the damage from the first round had piled up. Saint Denis desperately tried to continue fighting, but the doctor made the call to end the fight when the Frenchman was unable to see.
Saint Denis, who is out of the Bayonne region in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France, has dropped consecutive fights for the first time in his career. He lost by knockout to Dustin Poirier in March and will likely drop in the lightweight rankings after the beating he took from Moicano.