Daniel Cormier did not mince words about the call that shaped the UFC Vegas 123 main event. The former two-division UFC champion was working the Paramount+ desk at the Meta Apex on Saturday night when Dan Miragliotta stood Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan up late in the second round.
‘Money Moicano’ was on Nolan’s back and a body triangle locked in. Cormier didn’t have an issue with the action taking place, and instead called out the referee’s decision:
“I just don’t think a ref should take anybody out of mount, ever. Should never take anybody off the back like that. I just don’t think you take those type of positions and change it. They’re just too dominant.”
Check out Daniel Cormier‘s comments below:
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Cormier also added that Moicano was active and trying to damage Nolan. ‘DC’ further said that it was very difficult to get into Moicano’s position.
The sequence cost Moicano far more than a position. The Brazilian, 37, spent most of the first two rounds on Nolan’s back, hunting his signature rear-naked choke, and he had the body triangle locked for roughly two and a half minutes when Miragliotta called the restart.
Within seconds, Nolan landed a knee that badly hurt him and nearly ended the fight before the horn, and ‘Big Train’ finished the job in the third, dropping Moicano and landing unanswered ground strikes until Miragliotta stepped in at 1:28.
As of Sunday, no official comment from Moicano’s team or the Nevada commission about a possible appeal had surfaced. Nolan (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has now won six straight, while Moicano (21-8-1 MMA, 13-8 UFC) has dropped three of his last four.
Renato Moicano’s immediate messages on X
Renato Moicano did not blame the referee. Posting on X shortly after the fight, the Brazilian congratulated the man who beat him and called him a beast.
The Brazilian also spoke about how his performance wasn’t all that great, and he thanked the fans for their support:
“I want to thank the fans! I had a terrible performance, I was well trained, I managed to get the back control but I couldn’t do any damage, he was defending well! Congrats to the guy who follows!”
Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim
