Where Does Renato Moicano Train? Gym, Coach, Teammates, and More

Renato Moicano’s journey to the UFC reads like a fighter’s fairy tale. Born and raised in Brazil, Moicano honed his craft in the heart of one of MMA’s most vibrant scenes. A former interim Jungle Fight Featherweight Champion, Moicano has been a professional since 2010. With an arsenal of elite grappling and striking, he climbed the ranks and now sits at no. 10 in the UFC lightweight division.

The Brazilian’s recent form is nothing short of electrifying. His four-fight win streak has left fans buzzing, starting with a slick submission win over Brad Riddell at UFC 281. Most recently, he overwhelmed Benoit Saint-Denis, earning a TKO victory via doctor stoppage. ‘Money’s momentum is undeniable, but where does this star sharpen his tools? What gym does he call home and who is the team behind his incredible success?

Meet Mike Thomas Brown, Renato Moicano’s coach

Moicano has had his share of highs and lows at the UFC since 2010. However, even after the setbacks, he still played an important role in the featherweight division after the departure of Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar to bantamweight. Yet he and his team had decided to move up to lightweight for his fight against Damir Hadzovic. The fighter trains with the American Top Team, and it was his coach, Mike Thomas Brown, who had asked him for many years to move to the lightweight category. He was apprehensive at first but finally decided to listen to his coach and move up.

Mike Brown has also been approved at MMA with a record of 25-9-0, and the 49-year-old trains the lightweight fighter. Moicano still trains at ATT, and the 38-year-old benefited a lot after moving to the lightweight category. He can pretty much do it all; he is capable of fighting with full low kicks, high kicks, as well as front kicks. This is what his coach also nourishes when they are training.

The fighter had always been drawn towards combat sports since childhood, and after finishing his training, he went into the professional world of MMA. He trained in Judo as a kid, and he is a well-rounded fighter, having earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. He also has impressive grappling skills and has 10 victories by submission. The 35-year-old also teaches mixed martial arts and Muay Thai. Let’s see who he trains with.

Renato Moicano’s gym and teammates

The fighter whose favorite grappling technique is chokes trains at the American Top Team. Other fighters who train at ATT Florida are Alexandre Pantoja, Thiago ‘Marreta’ Santos, Ikram Aliskerov, Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier, Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal, and Mayra Bueno Silva, among many other veterans.

He only has good things to say about his gym and team. He had previously said to MMA Junkie, “ATT is a tremendous team, very professional, and, there, I learned about resting more, training less not training harder, training smarter, they say. And if you train hard, hard, hard, at some point your body will break, so you have to train smart. And I’m getting older, so I have to make some adjustments in my training.”

He moved to Florida with his wife in 2017 after his fight with Brian Ortega at UFC 214. He had lost the fight via guillotine choke in the third round and decided to train with ATT after that. But where and who did he train with before?

Where did ‘Money’ train before ATT?

Before training with ATT, he used to train with Gabriel Day Olivera. He had lost to Bryan Ortega at UFC 214 and realized that he had to do something different before coming back for his next fight. This is when he decided to move to Florida and join the American top team. The Brazilian fighter owns a gym in Brazil and misses his family and friends; however, he worked with Conan Silvera as his head coach for the first time for UFC 223 and saw visible improvements.

‘Money’ had also trained with Team Constrictor to enhance his skill set, especially with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But now he trains with the American Top Team, and the fighter who was studying law before has also trained with Alex Leleco.

Despite his respect for Beneil Dariush, the Brazilian is laser-focused on securing a dominant victory at their upcoming UFC 311 clash. With confidence, he declared at the pre-fight media day, “Saturday night, I will beat the sh*t out of Beneil Dariush.” Yet, beneath the banter lies a calculated athlete eager to extend his winning streak even further and possibly secure a shot at the elusive UFC gold. Will Moicano’s training and preparation prove enough to overcome the ever-dangerous Dariush? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!