'Big' John McCarthy Scorches Miragliotta Over Controversial Vegas 123 Stand-Up

The fallout from UFC Vegas 123's controversial main event continued on Monday, with legendary MMA official John McCarthy heavily criticising referee Dan Miragliotta's disputed stand-up call. Speaking on the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy took aim at the decision that changed Saturday's lightweight headliner between Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The flashpoint came in the second round. Moicano had taken Nolan's back, locked in a body triangle and was hunting a rear-naked choke when Miragliotta judged the Brazilian was not active enough and ordered both men back to their feet. Nolan hurt Moicano late in the round and finished him with punches and elbows at 1:28 of the third, extending his winning streak to six fights and improving to 12-1. The sequence drew immediate criticism from the broadcast team and fighters across the sport, and Miragliotta has not publicly explained his officiating since. For Nolan, the win should have been the defining moment of his career so far. Instead, the debate over the stand-up has dominated the aftermath, with analysts arguing the call took away a position in which Moicano has built his reputation. Moicano himself, who fell to 21-8-1, congratulated Nolan after the fight and did not blame the referee, but the wider MMA community has shown no sign of letting the controversy go.