Tom Nolan picked up the biggest win of his career at UFC Vegas 123, but referee Dan Miragliotta might have stolen the show.
Saturday’s headlining bout saw Nolan extend his win streak to six with a third-round knockout over longtime contender Renato Moicano. However, that summary doesn’t exactly do the finishing sequence justice as it was preceded by arguably the most controversial officiating call of the year.
Near the end of Round 2, with Moicano dominating the fight from back control on the mat, Miragliotta called for a reset, forcing Moicano to relinquish his position and standing the fighters up. Shortly after, Nolan caught Moicano with a damaging knee that swung the momentum of the fight permanently in Nolan’s favor. He went on to finish an exhausted Moicano with ground strikes.
There’s no telling whether Nolan would have eventually turned the fight around anyway, but the MMA community was unanimous in its condemnation of Miragliotta’s decision.
“He capitalized, but the ref won that one,” UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney wrote on Twitter. “Crazy work standing that up.”
See more pros reactions from social media below.
