TLDR
- Referee Dan Miragliotta stood up fighters during UFC Vegas 123 when Renato Moicano had Tom Nolan’s back with a body triangle
- Dana White defended the decision, saying fighters must do damage and try to finish, not just maintain position
- Tom Nolan won by stoppage in the third round after the stand-up, improving to 12-1
- Moicano acknowledged his poor performance and refused to appeal the decision
- Nolan offered to give Moicano a rematch and believes he would finish him faster in a second fight
Sources: yardbarker.com | sports.yahoo.com | sherdog.com
UFC President Dana White defended a controversial referee decision that many believe cost Renato Moicano his victory at UFC Vegas 123. The October 31 fight ended with Tom Nolan winning by stoppage in the third round after referee Dan Miragliotta stood up the fighters in the second round.
Moicano had controlled Nolan on the ground for most of the first two rounds. In the second round, he had taken Nolan’s back and secured a body triangle around his opponent’s waist.
Miragliotta then stopped the action and forced both fighters to stand up. Nolan came back in the third round and finished Moicano with strikes, improving his record to 12-1.
The ref stood up the fight while Renato Moicano had Tom Nolan’s back
Nolan almost finished Moicano just moments later… 😬 #UFCVegas123 pic.twitter.com/iNyqIcjH4c
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 1, 2026
White Explains the Rules
When asked about the controversy, White initially said he hadn’t discussed it with UFC officials. He then offered a clear explanation of his position.
“I don’t think it’s about having the dominant position,” White stated. “It’s: Are you doing damage, and are you trying to win the fight?”
White added that fighters who are skilled enough could take an opponent’s back and ride out the position for three rounds without trying to finish. He said the rules require referees to stand fighters up if they’re not doing damage, advancing position, or trying to finish the fight.
The Unified Rules of MMA support White’s interpretation. The rules state that referees should stand up or break fighters when neither fighter demonstrates real, sustained effort to advance toward finishing the fight.
The rules also specify that simply maintaining what appears to be a superior position does not count as effort to advance toward finishing the fight.
Fighter Responses to the Decision
Moicano acknowledged his poor performance after the fight. He admitted he wasn’t able to hurt Nolan and congratulated the American on the win.
Moicano reportedly refused to file an appeal against the decision. His record now stands at 21-8-1.
Nolan told reporter Ariel Helwani that he would give Moicano a rematch “in a heartbeat” if requested. The Australian fighter believes he would finish Moicano even faster in a second fight.
“There was no way he was gonna be able to do that for another three rounds,” Nolan said about Moicano’s ground control. “Now that I’ve felt him, I think it’d be over pretty quickly.”
Nolan said he was not trying to disrespect Moicano or call him out. He described the situation as “very unfortunate.”
This marks another controversial referee decision involving Moicano. In December 2020, he blamed the referee for stopping his fight against Rafael Fiziev prematurely in the first round.
In March 2022, Moicano fought Rafael dos Anjos on four days’ notice and lost by unanimous decision. Many critics felt that fight should have been stopped earlier due to the punishment Moicano absorbed.
Miragliotta has not publicly commented on his decision to stand up the fighters at UFC Vegas 123. The controversy has sparked debate among fans and fighters about proper officiating and when referees should intervene in ground fighting.
