MMA News

Tag: American Top Team

  • Renato Moicano ‘Glad’ He Hasn’t Trained With Teammate Dustin Poirier For Benoît Saint Denis Fight

    Renato Moicano ‘Glad’ He Hasn’t Trained With Teammate Dustin Poirier For Benoît Saint Denis Fight

    Renato Moicano recently explained why he chose not to train with his teammate Dustin Poirier ahead of his upcoming bout against Benoît Saint Denis.

    “Money” is stepping into enemy territory as he gears up to face Saint Denis in a crucial lightweight clash, headlining UFC Fight Night Paris this weekend at the Accor Arena in France.

    Few know that Moicano hones his skills at the prestigious American Top Team (ATT), working under the guidance of Mike Brown, ‘Parrumpa’ and more capable coaches. His training partners include the highly regarded lightweights Poirier and Thiago Moises, both of whom have faced “God of War” in the octagon before.

    The 35-year-old Brazilian could have trained alongside “The Diamond”, who knocked out Saint Denis at UFC 299 this past March, but Moicano somehow did not get that chance…

    Moicano Reveals He Didn’t Want To Disrupt Poirier’s Time Off While Preparing For Saint Denis

    During a recent episode of his Show Me The Money podcast, Moicano discussed his preparation and training camp for the upcoming clash with Saint Denis. “Money” revealed that he spent considerable time training with Moises, gaining valuable insights that he plans to apply in this fight.

    “I trained a lot with Thiago Moises, and he told me that the guy is very strong, especially because he fought Benoit and then we trained together,” Moicano said. “We are both lightweights, of course, so he was telling me to be ready; he’s very strong. I’m not underestimating him; I know he’s tough, I know he’s strong. Dustin Poirier also gave me some tips, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. I have to go over there and do my job, and my job is to beat him.”

    Moicano further shared that he wasn’t able to train with Poirier for this fight, as the former UFC interim champion was coming off his own grueling bouts, and Moicano didn’t want to interrupt his time off. “Money” mentioned that he caught up with “The Diamond” during International Fight Week in June, where they exchanged strategies for dealing with Saint Denis.

    “I know he had a very hard training camp against Islam [Makhachev] and Benoit, and I didn’t want to bother him. Even though we talked in Las Vegas at the International Fight Week, and he was more than ready to come down and train with me to help me for the fight, he was on vacation or something. I said, ‘Hey, I’m not gonna message you; I’m not gonna be selfish and try to make him come to ATT just to train with me’… I’m glad that I didn’t have to train with Dustin Poirier because he would beat my a**.”

    Moicano is currently riding a three-fight win streak, most recently securing a second-round TKO victory over Jalin Turner at UFC 300 this past April. Meanwhile, “God of War” saw his five-fight winning momentum come to an end at the hands of Poirier in his last appearance in the Octagon, and he will be eager to return to his victorious form.

  • Dustin Poirier’s Teammate Hints At Date & Opponent For His Final UFC Fight (Exclusive)

    Dustin Poirier’s Teammate Hints At Date & Opponent For His Final UFC Fight (Exclusive)

    A hunch or a leak? Dustin Poirier’s teammate appeared confident when predicting a month and opponent for his farewell fight in the UFC.

    It initially appeared as though fans had seen Poirier make the walk for the final time this past summer. After a vintage knockout of Benoît Saint Denis in March, the former interim UFC lightweight champion had one last opportunity to achieve undisputed status.

    But while he gave it his all through four rounds against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in Newark, “The Diamond” succumbed to a rear-naked choke in the final frame of the pay-per-view main event.

    The veteran’s Octagon interview suggested that an official retirement was on the way, but the fire beneath Poirier has not fully diminished. And after pondering a farewell fight, the Louisianan has appeared to make that decision final.

    Talk has since turned to which major matchup Poirier could depart the sport off the back of, and “The Diamond” himself narrowed down his options to seven big names.

    A man who knows Poirier well from their ongoing stint as teammates over at American Top Team recently picked one out…

    Dawson Predicts Poirier vs. Gaethje 3 In February 2025

    During a recent interview with MMA News’ Ryan Jarrell, Dawson spoke on the current status of Poirier’s career and apparent plans to compete one final time before hanging up the gloves.

    While reiterating his belief that “The Diamond” is not yet done, “KGD” predicted a February 2025 return for his ATT training partner but insisted that didn’t come from a place of insider knowledge.

    “I think he’ll fight in February. I don’t have any insider information,” Dawson told MMA News. “I don’t know anything. There’s no (set) date or anything like that. I just don’t think he’s done. I’ve texted him a couple times and he sounds like a man who wants to fight again.”

    But when pondering a date for his own next appearance inside the Octagon, the same month reared its head…

    “Let’s do February, on Dustin’s card.”

    In terms of an opponent, Dawson was 100 percent certain in stating that a rumored clash with former ATT standout Colby Covington is not on the table. Instead, the 30-year-old displayed a grin while producing a different name.

    “I know for a fact he’s not fighting Colby Covington. I called him and asked him about it, and he said, ‘Heck no.’ He said something a little worse than ‘heck,’” Dawson said, before smiling and taking a long pause when asked who he thinks Poirier will face. “Justin Gaethje.”

    Shot-in-the-dark prediction, educated guess or a statement of fact? We’ll let you decide.

    Regardless, it would appear that Poirier’s mind is indeed made up and that his memorable championship clash with Makhachev won’t mark the final chapter in his story.

  • Covington Takes One Last Personal Shot At Masvidal & ATT Pre-UFC 272

    UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington wanted to get a final message across to Jorge Masvidal before their grudge match at UFC 272.

    After months and years of brewing tensions between Covington and Masvidal, they’ll finally get the opportunity to prove themselves in the Octagon in the UFC 272 headliner. The former friends turned rivals have engaged in quite the mental warfare over time, especially during fight week.

    A chaotic UFC 272 pre-fight press conference was followed up by an intense staredown at the ceremonial weigh-ins. Covington and Masvidal came face to face one last time before their highly-anticipated matchup.

    An excess of security personnel and UFC President Dana White separated the two sides from engaging in a physical altercation, but the battle continued shortly after their faceoff. Covington has been on Masvidal’s nerves, invoking Masvidal’s personal life and his ex-wife.

    Just hours before his fight with Masvidal, Covington took an opportunity to take a final shot at his UFC 272 opponent along with his former coach Mike Brown.

    “Hey [Jorge Masvidal] you looked real nervous bud…” Covington said. “Maybe you should try that juiced up little drug addict Mike Browns favorite trick to take the edge off and fight on some GHB. Yeah I said GHB, but Brown did HGH too because he’s a nut less b**ch just like you.”

    Brown is one of Masvidal’s main coaches and is arguably the closest to the welterweight star. Covington accused Brown of being a drug addict at the pre-fight press conference and doubled down on his stance in this most recent tweet.

    Covington and Masvidal used to be teammates and friends at American Top Team in Florida. This was before the amicable relations between the two shattered following an alleged failed payout to a coach by Covington and a series of near-brawls at the gym.

    Brown recently confirmed Covington’s leaked information regarding Masvidal’s injury that forced him to withdraw from UFC 269. He was supposed to face Leon Edwards, another bitter rival of his.

    Masvidal has also recently shared a near-brawl that took place between him and Covington at a Miami-area sushi restaurant as their friendship deteriorated. After inviting Covington for a meal, and possibly a fight, Covington failed to show up.

    This is much more than a grudge match, as former strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk has alluded. This is a matchup between two of the biggest stars in recent UFC history and Covington and Masvidal will look to put on a show at UFC 272.

    What is your prediction for Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal?

  • Colby Covington Claims He Rejected An Invitation Back To ATT

    UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington recently revealed that he had an opportunity to go back to American Top Team, but turned it down.

    Covington is set to face his former friend and ATT teammate Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 272. It is arguably one of the biggest grudge matches in UFC history and one of the rare non-title main events in recent memory.

    A major storyline of the Covington/Masvidal fight is the two fighters’ time at ATT, and Covington’s eventual departure. Covington left the team after near brawls and building tension between Covington and Masvidal, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, and Dustin Poirier.

    ATT owner Dan Lambert has recently detailed his version of what led to Covington leaving the team, and that Covington’s fractured relationship with Masvidal was unfixable.

    During a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Covington admitted that he turned down an offer to return to ATT after the initial split.

    “Yeah, I got invited back by Dan and Conan,” Covington said. “Yeah, go ask them. I got texts, if you want to see the receipts I can show you. I have them, they invited me back. I didn’t want to go back. It wasn’t a good situation for me anymore. The last two years of training there, just all drama. Terrible energy. I couldn’t have any focus in my career, there was no direction, nothing. Just, it was terrible. It was draining me and I wasn’t getting the best out of myself. What was sacrificed was my training and my evolution as a fighter.

    Interview with UFC Champ Colby Covington of American Top Team in South Florida - YouTube
    Colby Covington

    “Now, I rid myself of that drama and all that stuff, I have a great camp that actually cares about me. It’s not about money, it’s not about paychecks, it’s about developing us as a fighter. Evolving. Taking the steps to get better every single day and I’ve seen the growth.”

    Covington went on to join nearby MMA Masters and is now coached by Cesar Carneiro and Daniel Valverde. He has said on numerous occasions how much of a burden training at ATT was for him during the final days of his tenure.

    Covington’s matchup with Masvidal isn’t just seen by some as a fighter vs. fighter battle, but also one with his former gym ATT. Covington will have the chance to silence his critics this weekend at UFC 272.

    What is your prediction for Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal?