Renato Moicano was able to outstrike Jeremy Stephens tonight at UFC On FOX 24 en-route to a split decision win on the scorecards.
Round One:
Stephens with a kick and one comes in return from Moicano. More low kicks coming from Moicano and Stephens is happy to return the favor, though not with the same frequency.
Leg kick, one to the body, then back to the leg for Moicano. Stephens eats another leg kick, this time inside. Overhand for Moicano now.
stephens overreaching on a punch after his inside leg gets chopped at again. leg kick lands for Stephens, but he seems to be itching to land a punch. So far he’s struggled to find the range though, with Moicano offering a constantly moving target.
Finally a right hand does land for Stephens. He continues looking to load up looking for one big strike, but suddenly Moicano times a takedown beautifully, ducking under a strike as he brings the fight to the mat.
Stephens working hard for a kimura as Moicano stays calm in half guard, but isn’t able to work any offense.
Round Two:
Moicano immediately back to those chopping leg kicks. Stephens with an inside leg kick. Left hook for Moicano and then Stephens comes barreling into a takedown attempt, but Moicano bounces straight back up.
Moicano with a jab. Stephens with a leg kick. Punch and a kick from Stephens. Moicano with a punch, then follows up with a body kick.
Stephens backs him up to the cage and lands an uppercut as Moicano looks to move out of danger.
nice one-two for Moicano as Stephens tries to push the pace. Stephens backs him to the cage again, but as he unleashes strikes Moicano avoids them and moves away.
Right hand for Stephens. Moicano again makes him miss and spins out of danger. Both men land a jab at the same time. A lot less kicks from Moicano this round.
Body kick for Stephens. Moicano bails out of a spinning kick attempt. One-two for Moicano. Crowd getting restless as Moicano continues to remain mobile and steer clear of Stephens offense.
Round Three:
Kick from Stephens to start. Moicano swinging for the fences with punches in the center of the cage and Stephens looks to follow suit. Moicano lands cleaner, but that’s a risky strategy with a heavy-handed striker like his opponent.
Wisely Moicano soon changes things up, taking Stephens to the mat. However, it’s not long before Stephens is able to work his way back up to his feet.
Leg kick lands for Stephens. Stephens with a hook that grazes off his opponent’s guard. He lands a body kick. Leg kick and a jab.
Moicano thinks about a takedown, but Stephens quickly deters that. leg kicks exchanged. One lands from Moicano and seems to put Stephens momentarily off-balance.
Stephens at close range and lands a couple of punches. He’s sporting some blood around his nose though. Stephens eager to get into punching range, but eats an uppercut and a hook.
Moicano pumps out the jab. Stephens with a right hand. Stephens looking for the uppercut now. Couple of punches followed by a leg kick for Stephens.
Both men land heavy punches in the center of the Octagon. last moments of the fight and Moicano tries for a takedown, but it’s stuffed and he eats two hard hooks for his troubles. Moicano lands a final solid punch of his own as the fight comes to an end.
Decision:
Competitive fight here, but Moicano was doing the better work on the feet and even showed off a little wrestling too, enabling him to seize a split decision victory (29-28 x2, 28-29).
