Renato Moicano 'shocked' by Dan Miragliotta's controversial UFC Vegas 123 stand-up: 'What the f*** is going on?'
Moicano was just as baffled as you were by Miragliotta’s bizarre — and fight-changing — decision at UFC Vegas 123.
Renato Moicano, a seasoned lightweight veteran, faced controversy at UFC Vegas 123 when referee Dan Miragliotta controversially stood him up during a dominant back control position on Tom Nolan in the second round. Moicano, 37, expressed his shock and disbelief at the moment in an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, stating, "What the f*** is going on?"
He acknowledged that the stand-up changed the momentum of the fight, allowing Nolan to unload strikes, including a big knee that staggered Moicano. Despite the setback, Moicano maintains that Nolan earned the win fairly, emphasizing that Nolan is a great striker and took advantage of the situation. Moicano admitted he was hurt from a knee strike heading into the third round but refused to let the referee's mistake affect his assessment of Nolan's performance.
He stated, "Tom Nolan is a great striker. I don't have anything to complain about Tom Nolan. He did nothing wrong. He beat me fair and square." Following the loss, Moicano doesn't plan to protest the result to the Nevada Athletic Commission, as he believes he didn't perform well enough to maintain the position he had. The controversy has sparked discussions about one of the worst referee stand-ups in UFC history, with even veteran official John McCarthy disagreeing with Miragliotta's decision.
Moicano, known as "Money," expressed that the controversy didn't bother him as much as the missed opportunity for financial gain. He admitted that the loss ended any late-career title pushes and hinted that he might retire from MMA after three remaining fights on his UFC deal.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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