UFC star explains "p**sy" tweet about Francis Ngannou after fan backlash chases him off X: "My joke was completely misunderstood"

A UFC fan favorite notably put forth a tweet regarding Francis Ngannou in the aftermath of his triumphant PFL debut. The tweet elicited considerable backlash, and the fighter has now come forward to clear the air.

The fighter in question is the No. 11-ranked UFC lightweight Renato Moicano, who's coming off a second-round TKO victory against Benoit Saint-Denis.

Ngannou made his MMA return for the first time since Jan. 2022. 'The Predator' defeated Brazil's Renan Ferreira via first-round KO at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants on Oct. 19, 2024. Ngannou secured a takedown early and notched the win via ground strikes.

Moicano has lately gained prominence for his sense of humor, be it on social media, in his interviews, or elsewhere. He appeared to jestingly criticize Ngannou's grappling-heavy approach against Ferreira and tweeted:

"wtf don't be a p**sy Ngannou #pfl"

On the Show Me The Money podcast hosted by UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns, Matty Betss, and Moicano, the latter addressed the fan backlash over his aforementioned tweet.

'Money' suggested that he was simply joking that Ngannou was afraid to engage in striking exchanges with Ferreira. Addressing the criticism directed at him by several X users, Moicano stated:

"Yeah, my brother. I got a lot of heat. That's why I'm not going on Twitter... What happened was I was trying to make a joke, my brother, because I shoot for takedowns on the first second every fight. Brother, I'm not going to strike against a striker anymore. And then, when Francis shoot, I say, 'What the f**k? Don't be a f**king p**sy, my brother.' And then, people went crazy."

Speaking to his co-hosts and Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen, Moicano seemingly mimicked the irate netizens:

'Ah, you motherf**ker, you shoot for the takedowns all the time.' I was trying to make a joke. But I think people are so dumb that they don't understand, you know? Yeah, that was the joke. I'm calling him p**sy because look my last fight. Five seconds, I shoot for the takedown."

Moicano believed Ferreira would survive round one and engage in additional exchanges with Ngannou. Acknowledging that Ngannou was simply too much, he added:

"And then, my joke was completely misunderstood. So f**k you all on Twitter."

Check out Moicano's comments below:

Watch the podcast episode below (Moicano's comments at 25:40):

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Renato Moicano expresses respect for Francis Ngannou

Renato Moicano has lately been working on recovering from his shoulder injury and is expected to continue his quest to capture the UFC lightweight title. As for Francis Ngannou, his victory over Renan Ferreira earned him the inaugural PFL Super Fights heavyweight title.

It marked Ngannou's PFL promotional debut. The former UFC heavyweight champion has signaled that he's open to boxing as well as a potential MMA bout in the PFL.

Following Ngannou's spectacular stoppage of the fearsome Ferreira, Moicano lauded the Cameroonian-French combatant for his inspirational life story. In response to a tweet that referenced Ngannou's accolades and personal hardships, 'Money' tweeted:

"Legend"