White Backs Referee's Call in Moicano-Nolan Controversy: "Are You Doing Damage?"

Dana White has backed the referee at the centre of the storm around Renato Moicano's defeat to Tom Nolan, insisting the controversial stand-up at UFC Vegas 123 was the right call. Moicano entered last weekend's headliner as favourite and looked in control in round two, taking Nolan's back with a body triangle. But referee Dan Miragliotta felt he was not doing enough damage or working towards a finish and stood them up. Nolan seized the lifeline, stopping Moicano in round three and sparking a fan backlash. White, speaking on Thursday, had reached a clear view. "I don't think it's about having the dominant position," he said. "It's: Are you doing damage, and are you trying to win the fight? Because if that's what you want to do, some of these guys are so good they could take your back and just ride it out for three rounds. The rules are, if you're not doing damage, advancing your position, and trying to finish the fight, you get stood up." The Unified Rules back him up: a referee should stand fighters up when neither shows "real, significant, and/or sustained effort" to finish the fight, and holding a superior position alone is not enough. Moicano has been graceful in defeat, admitting to a "terrible performance", congratulating Nolan and refusing to appeal. The loss still stings: he has three fights left on his UFC deal and has talked about testing free agency if the money is not right.