Why did Renato Moicano change his name?

The lightweight division is one of the most looked-up and electrifying divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Being a No.10 ranked contender in such a division means Renato Moicano is not just top tier with his performance inside the cage, but also entertains fight fans around the globe.

With more than a decade of expertise in the sport, the Brazilian mixed martial artist maintains a record of 20 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw, as of January 2025. The methods of his wins are via submission(10), decision(8), and knockout(2), respectively. Moreover, coming off a second-round finish against Benoit Saint-Denis in Paris, France, Moicano is now gearing up for his next showdown against Beneil Dariush on January 18, 2025.

Renato Moicano’s name change

Renato Moicano was earlier known as Renato Alves Carneiro. He changed his surname to Moicano, which was earlier his nickname during school.

While talking to UFC announcer, Brendan Fitzgerald in his podcast, Renato Moicano exclaimed about the story of why he was called Moicano in the first place. Carneiro had a bet with his father whether or not he dared to change his hairstyle to a mohawk. Carneiro collected money from his father and changed his hairstyle to a mohawk. However, people on the street and his school started calling him ‘Moicano’ which meant mohawk in Portuguese.

Initially, Renato Carneiro did not like his nickname. With time, he changed his stage name from Carneiro to Moicano. Now he is widely known as Renato Moicano, around the globe.

Even though Renato Moicano started training at the age of 8, his father wanted him to become a professional lawyer. However, Moicano dropped out of law college to pursue his career in mixed martial arts.

As per multiple reports, Moicano was brought up in a well-off family. Hence, unlike most UFC fighters, he did not compete in order to keep his hunger away. In fact, the veteran fighter made his way into the sport only out of love for it.

*Last updated on January 7, 2025.