Tom Nolan's Next Fight After Controversial UFC Vegas 123 Win

Tom Nolan secured a third-round TKO victory over Renato Moicano at UFC Vegas 123 on Saturday, but the Australian lightweight's biggest win to date comes with an asterisk attached. Referee Dan Miragliotta stood the fighters up late in the second round despite Moicano holding back control, a decision that drew immediate backlash and overshadowed Nolan's finish in the final frame.

According to BJPenn.com, Moicano had begun to tire by that stage of the bout, and only about a minute remained in the round when Miragliotta intervened. The Brazilian grappler, who entered the contest following a submission win over Chris Duncan, controlled the early action before his gas tank betrayed him. Nolan capitalized in the third round to close the show, improving to 11-1 overall and 6-1 inside the Octagon.

Nolan Eyes Top-10 Opponent After Controversial Finish

MMA Fighting's Mike Heck discussed potential next steps for Nolan, who now finds himself on a six-fight winning streak but facing questions about the circumstances of his victory. BJPenn.com reports that Nolan called out Mateusz Gamrot after the fight, a pairing that would test the Australian against an elite grappler and potentially vault him into the lightweight rankings. Gamrot's wrestling pedigree would provide Nolan an opportunity to prove himself a legitimate contender despite the controversy surrounding his last outing.

Elsewhere on the card, Jacobe Smith earned an impressive co-main event win over Randy Brown, while Cody Durden defeated Ode Osbourne in the featured preliminary bout. Luana Santos and Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani also notched main card victories at the Meta APEX facility in Las Vegas.

For Moicano, the loss snaps a brief return to form and likely pushes him back toward gatekeeper status at lightweight. BJPenn.com suggests a matchup with Esteban Ribovics, who is coming off a TKO win over King Green and deserves a ranked opponent. Moicano sits at the bottom of the top 15, making the pairing a final opportunity for the Brazilian to reassert himself as a contender before slipping out of the rankings entirely.

Photo: Roger Gor / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — On To the Next One: Matches to make after controversial UFC Vegas 123 event | MMA Fighting
• bjpenn.com — What's next for Tom Nolan and Renato Moicano after UFC Vegas 123? | BJPenn.com