Renato Moicano explains why UFC should stop holding events at the UFC APEX: ‘Nobody cares’

UFC Vegas 104 delivered in terms of action with nine stoppages and only four decisions, but UFC lightweight Renato Moicano saw it as the perfect example as to why the promotion should stop holding events at the UFC APEX.

The venue was crucial for the UFC as a place to hold events during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the show to go on despite restrictions. Moicano fought threes times at the venue, one being a pay-per-view during the pandemic back in 2020, and defends that it doesn’t make sense to keep it going anymore.

“To me, it was a bad UFC [card],” Moicano said of UFC Vegas 104 on a video posted on his YouTube channel. “Everybody’s saying it was an excellent UFC, that there were a lot of knockouts and submission. That’s true, there were plenty of knockouts and submissions … But why do I think the card was so bad? Because the UFC APEX works to hype certain fighters that come from the Contender [Series].

“The APEX is this area for the UFC in Las Vegas, next to the UFC PI, so they don’t pay to use the space, so it’s a cheap card for the UFC. There’s no fight week [activities], and that’s why I think it’s so bad when they’re at the UFC APEX. There’s no dynamic like other Fight Nights [on the road]. It’s good [when it’s elsewhere] because all the athletes go to a different city and they call TV stations, radio people, and you do a Fight Night with media day and open workouts and that makes people excited to watch the fights. But nobody cares when it’s the UFC APEX.”

UFC Vegas 104 was headlined by an unexpected rematch between middleweights Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze. Moicano highlighted the performances of Andre Lima and Kevin Vallejos on the prelims, but think that being on the UFC APEX ultimately affects the way it could change the trajectory of their careers.

“UFC APEX cards must stop,” Moicano said. “For example, Carlos Vera beating Josias Musasa, what does that do for the bantamweight division? It changes absolutely nothing. F*ck it, you know? They put fights on the APEX and f*ck it. Cool, nice finish, but where do we go from here? Will people start talking about Carlos Vera fighting Felipe Lima or someone hyped in the bantamweight division? They won’t, especially because it doesn’t make a difference. That’s my point. You can have a bunch of knockouts, like Waldo Cortes-Acosta on Ryan Spann. So what? Where does Waldo Cortes go? What is he going to do? Who is he fighting?

“The only guy other than Andre Lima that had some hype was Kevin Vallejos, and that’s because of a loss. He fought Seung Woo Choi at featherweight, he’s 15-1 now, but I think he kind of blew it. His only loss was to Jean Silva and he gets to the UFC and knocks out this Korean and asks to fight Jean Silva, a fight that makes no sense. But I want to see what his kid does in the division, because the Jean Silva fight was excellent. I really don’t know what his next step will be but I want to watch his fight. He got a little bit of hype. Now imagine if Kevin Vallejos was fighting on a pay-per-view and knocks this guy out. The hype would be completely different. That’s my problem with the UFC APEX.

“I’ll give you another example to defend my point. Ignacio Bahamondes. He was fighting at the APEX all the time and did a nice spinning kick knockout there, like [Mauricio] Ruffy’s, and nobody cared. He submitted Jalin Turner the other day on a numbered card — Turner was obviously ranked, but the finish didn’t compare to the spinning knockout he had, and now he has a f*cking hype and is in the top 15. Again, these UFC APEX cards, the fact the structure is all there, it makes the card worse even if they have good fights like Kavin Vallejos and Andre Lima.”

UFC Vegas 104 was the ninth UFC event of the year, the fourth inside the APEX, but only three of the 10 events between March and June 7 will take place at the APEX. The octagon goes back on the road again this week for a Fight Night show in London, headlined by former champion Leon Edwards and Sean Brady on March 22, and then visits Mexico City the week after before returning to the APEX.