Happy Friday everyone. I don’t know about you, but I am desperate for the weekend to start. Before we get to Saturday, though, and UFC Vegas 124, we’ve got this week’s mailbag to talk about.
As expected, we got some refereeing questions this week thanks to the clanger we saw at UFC Halloween last weekend. There’s were also a few questions about other fights on the card and some broader scope ones, too. We had fun answering them and I hope you enjoy reading what we said.
To stand or not to stand?
Question: Had Moicano and Nolan
not been stood back up, would Moicano have won the fight? And how should referees go about standing fighters back up? (Igl00Man)
Andrew Richardson: Likely not but maybe? The standup differential was significant, but Moicano could have found the neck or perhaps wore down Nolan over time and created more wrestling opportunities in later rounds.
Jesse Holland: I don’t know how you accurately measure what would or would not happen when manipulating specific variables within a fight, but I can definitely say that Renato Moicano had a much better chance of winning on the ground than he did standing up (proven by Tom Nolan). As far as standing up fighters, I think the stalling has to be egregious enough to withstand any post-fight criticism. That’s why it’s important for referees to understand the ground game, so they can differentiate between stalling and working for position.
Alex Behunin: The real answer here is: we will never know. Perhaps Nolan gets more gassed with Moicano on his back or makes a simple mistake in the last seconds and gets tapped. Or the round ends with Moicano on his back, and we see exactly what we saw in the third round.
I do believe fighters should be warned and then stood up if they are stalling, but Moicano was clearly not stalling – and he was in the best possible position so he couldn’t improve it.
The thing that bums me out the most is Big Dan gave Nolan a clear advantage as he was the much better striker.
Thomas Myers: Moicano’s initial reaction was that he was upset he didn’t finish the fight when he had the chance. He had Nolan’s back for at least four minutes (combined) between the two rounds. Having said that, I think it was such a dumb decision from Dan, especially because Moicano was actively trying to secure the choke. I am not a BJJ guy, but know enough that’s a game of baiting and setting up an opponent for an eventual finish. Where was Moicano in that sequence? We will never know, but if he came out and said, “I was so close to catching him before we were stood up,” I might be more mad. I think Moicano knew he had more than enough time, but couldn’t get it done. Still, bonehead decision from a bonehead referee.
Tim Edwards: I don’t think Dan did the right thing in that fight. However, I do want to point out that MMA refereeing might be the hardest gig in pro sports. There are few sports out there where a mistake could literally and directly lead to someone dying. Because of that I’m pretty forgiving of referees being more cautious, like with early stoppages or assessing fouls. In this instance, though, both of Dan’s mistakes were designed to allow for maximum punishment. He stood the fighters up so they could have more potential to do harm and he was late on the stoppage, too. It’s hard to defend him on those, even if I do recognize how tough his job is. I don’t think having a different guy in there solves all these problems. I think there needs to be a serious re-thinking, or even reckoning, when it comes to how this sport is officiated. I think we need more things codified and less left up to the discretion of referees, corners and even fighters.
More on Referees
Question: Are the ranks of available good referees really so slim that guys like Dan Mirgliatta will be around as long as they want to be? Even without considering The Stand Up on Saturday night, Birbigliatta is objectively one of the most dangerous and inconsistent referees out there, and yet there he was in yet another main event. (Desert Tiger)
Andrew Richardson: I think there are better referees on the regional scene. I’ve attended plenty of local CA events where Frank Trigg seems to do a good job, for example. There’s surely some sort of hierarchy that the commissions don’t want to upset, but surely it’s time to try other names?
Jesse Holland: Dan Miragliotta’s performance at UFC Vegas 123 answered a lot of questions for me. I always thought his horrendous stand up in the second round of the Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson fight at EliteXC: “Primetime” was under orders but after watching him screw Moicano I realized nope, he’s just that awful.
Tim Edwards: I don’t want to repeat myself, but yes, MMA refereeing is broken and it needs to be totally overhauled. I’m liking the shift to immediate point deductions (since the first warning should happen in the pre-fight meeting). But I’d like to see dome really radical things happen, like the in-cage referee being there just for fighter safety and being responsible for only pausing the fight when it looks like it might be over. And then have a second ‘adjudicating’ referee outside, who watches the tape and determines whether the fight is on or off.
Fire’s Out
Q: What has happened to Francis Marshall? He looked awful. After so much promise early, a bit of a bad run and then seemed back on track and then threw out that stinker? just not good enough to make noise at this level? (LoneCowboy)
Andrew Richardson: He missed weight pretty badly, perhaps an injury or illness of some kind? Consistency is the difference-maker between good and great UFC fighters ultimately. Not an easy trait to possess.
Jesse Holland: I was never that high on him to begin with. Francis Marshall has four wins in UFC and three of those opponents are no longer with the promotion. The one who remains, Lucas Brennan, is 0-1 inside the Octagon. I think people put too much stock in these “Contender Series” wins, which feature talent not yet ready for prime time. If they were, they would already be signed. For every Sean O’Malley and Carlos Ulberg, we also have Greg Hardy and Antonio Trocoli.
Alex Behunin: He’s a solid fighter. I just believe his bad weight cut really affected his performance.
Thomas Myers: Was never too high on him, either, but thought that as a very winnable fight for him. I’d be curious about the weight miss and whether or not he was limited in training and/or the fight, more importantly.
Joke Paul
Q: With the recent news of Joke Paul’s most recent “fight” not being on Netflix, being given yet another undersized guy with minimal boxing experience (Cedric Doumbe), and Amanda Serrano’s retirement, could Joke Paul and Most Venomous Parasite be losing some of the pull and clout they might have once had? Has the novelty of Joke Paul’s act finally worn off? (Igl00Man)
Andrew Richardson: Until Paul does a “big” event that nobody watches — not counting his journeyman opponents that nobody has ever heard of — then the Paul experiment lives on IMO. I still see a reasonable chance that Doumbe shuts his lights off, the guy can strike …
Thomas Myers: Yes, the novelty is cooked. I think Jake and Co. have lost the plot. It’s been pure desperation since his life-changing Mike Tyson escapade … and I don’t think he will ever get back to that summit. For what it’s worth, Doumbe isn’t terrible, either, on the feet. I have no idea what he will look like with boxing gloves on, but this is a super odd choice for Paul – very low reward with somewhat of a risk of looking … average? I think he needs to pull the rip cord on his MMA debut. He needs a new angle, and this ain’t it.
Jesse Holland: First of all, I love the nicknames. I support Jake Paul and whatever he wants to do because he’s good for business. He understands how to work a fan base to his advantage. If Paul sucked and nobody wanted to watch him, his career would have been over after the Tommy Fury loss. That said, I think his streaming partner for the Cedric Doumbe fight will tell us what Paul’s market value is these days. Landing on DAZN would be a considerable step down after Netflix.
Alex Behunin: If Jake had boxed Darren Till instead, I believe that would have been on Netflix. As far as I know, per reports, Netflix is going through some restructuring in their live boxing events/sports – and obviously Paul vs. Doumbe wasn’t big enough.
The Grind
Q: As journalists covering MMA and UFC mainly, do you actually watch every card from the first fight every week? And if so, is the excitement still there or it’s just work for you guys now? (FightFan)
Andrew Richardson: I try to watch every fight but occasionally miss a Prelim bout or two. I still get genuinely excited for big cards and the couple dozen fighters I find really interesting, but there are definitely cards that feel like work. Coming up with a Morning After headline for a nothingburger event can be a struggle, whereas that’s my favorite article to write when there’s genuine intrigue available.
Jesse Holland: I watch most of the cards but like my Gen-Z daughter, I’m usually doom-scrolling on my phone or doing some other mindless activity. I’ll commit 100% of my focus to the important fights or marquee matchups, and the really big fights get me excited. For example, I’m jazzed about Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit just because I have no idea what to expect. I also like the Amanda Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison fight because of the backstory. Outside of fights like that, it’s just a job at this point. In my defense, I’ve been doing this for 20 years here at Mania, it’s hard to get hyped these days.
Thomas Myers: I watch almost every single UFC fight, every weekend, year-in, year-out. I might have to go pick up dinner, use the bathroom or run an errand, but for the most part, I have blocked of Saturday evenings for the past two decades. I think it’s just become my normal, regardless of card quality. Having said that, there are very few events / fights that I look forward to, which is likely a symptom of watching too much, too often.
Alex Behunin: I’ve watched every prelim from every card for the past 20ish years – except when I went to a concert for UFC 278 (and I never went back to watch them).
I tend to care about the prelims more than others because I’m into the prospect scene, and that’s where most of ‘em end up.
In all honesty, the excitement is still there, but it’s waning year by year, month by month – especially with all of the bullshit squash-match matchmaking.
Tim Edwards: I do the play-by-play post so I have to watch every fight on every card, unless I can find someone to cover for me. I think I’ve missed four events in the three years I’ve been at Mania. I’ve worked in MMA Media for over ten years and my enjoyment for the sport has gone down a lot and it happened rather quickly. However, I really enjoy what I do. I love working with this team (and the team I was with before) and I love storytelling and writing and interacting with readers. I love all that stuff so much that liking the sport less doesn’t really matter to me.
Cheap Seats
Q: So question what was your first UFC fight attended and $ cost? What was last UFC fight attended and $ cost? Only out of personal pocket counts. (gadgetsCA)
Thomas Myers: I met Jesse Holland out in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC 58: “USA vs. Canada” back in 2006. I definitely paid for that, but I couldn’t tell you how much. The most recent event I attended was UFC Vegas 110: “Garcia vs. Onama” back in Nov. 2025 – Alex Behunin pulled some strings to get me cageside.
Dan Hiergesell: I’ve attended a bunch of UFC events as part of the press, but the first UFC fight I attended and paid my own money for was UFC 264: McGregor vs. Poirier 3. I’m self-proclaimed a huge McGregor fan and ended up spending $2,000 on tickets for me and the wife. We were already in Las Vegas on some business so saved money on flight and hotel, but the tickets weren’t cheap. In hindsight, this was a massive mistake. The undercard produced knockouts by Ilia Topuria, Dricus du Plessis, and Sean O’Malley, but we essentially paid $2,000 to see McGregor snap his leg. I haven’t been to an event since (fun fact: I almost bought tickets to UFC 329 because I was in town and we all know how that went).
Andrew Richardson: I went to UFC 128: Jones vs. Shogun. I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, and I’m pretty sure my Dad spent like $70 on tickets for both of us. I don’t think I’ve been to an event since the UFC visited Sacramento in 2019 (when Urijah KO’d Ricky Simon), and those tickets were roughly $100. I’m cageside at regional shows often enough nowadays that I don’t have the desire to drop $350 on tickets, beg my connected friends for a free seat, or sit in the press row.
The Mess at Welterweight
Q: Dana publicly stated his disapproval of Islam holding up the division. My question is how inactive can a champ be before the belt loses meaning? When does “respecting religious observance” cross into holding up a whole division? And does the interim solve anything, or just create two belts and more politics? (BrutalBOB87)
Jesse Holland: This is the same Dana White who let Anthony Pettis sit on the bench for 462 days so that he could film TUF 20 opposite Gilbert Melendez – and let’s not even talk about the Conor McGregor time off fiasco following UFC 205. Islam Makhachev fought two months ago, so it’s not like he’s been on the shelf for a year. And in my opinion, when you achieve what Makhachev has achieved in two separate divisions, you should get special treatment. As far as interim titles go, read this: https://tinyurl.com/InterimTitles
Alex Behunin: Interim titles are being passed out like candy nowadays – and most of the time it makes no sense. Kayla hasn’t defended since June 2025, and Ulberg is going to be out until Q2 of 2027.
Islam literally fought three months ago. Makes zero sense to me, but if the UFC wants a fighter to fight on a certain date and they say no, expect an interim title now. I personally feel an interim title should go out if a champion hasn’t fought in one year.
Tim Edwards: I’ll echo Alex and say that if 365 days pass without a title defense, I think there should be a fight for an interim belt. Maybe, if there’s no unification bout after six months we strip the former champ and convert the interim to undisputed. Whether this is the right method or not, I think there needs to be a protocol that is written down and everyone knows. That ways there are no surprises or ‘disputes’ when it comes to this kind of process.
Quick hits
Q: Prates vs. Morales for the real WW title, way too early “who you got?” (LoneCowboy)
Jesse Holland: I think we have different definitions of the word “real.” Hard to bet against Prates when you look at the people he’s fought thus far in his UFC career against what Morales has done over the last five years. Prates fights ex-champs and top contenders, Morales jumps from “has been” to “never was.”
Alex Behunin: This has been my theory for the past year. Islam beats Prates easily; Morales is Islam’s toughest fight, and Prates knocks Morales out.
So, as of today, Prates is going to be the interim title.
Tim Edwards: It feels like strikers rule the world right now, so give me Prates.
Q: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani looked really good, again. Was it really him putting on a performance or just a bad matchup for Hasanov? And what next for JPL? (LoneCowboy)
Jesse Holland: Farman Hasanov was outmatched and up against a younger, more dynamic fighter with greater experience. Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani (JPL) has more than double the fights than Hasanov and remember, JPL also racked up nearly a dozen wins on the amateur circuit before turning pro in late 2018. I think we’ll find out what JPL is really made of when matchmakers book him against a Top 10 opponent.
Tim Edwards: I’m very high on JPL. Though, it has to be said that this was a very good match-up for him. I think his win over Seokyeon Ko was more revealing of where his ceiling is.
Q: So we’re probably going to get a godawful stay at distance sparring match for the main event this week, how do you close the distance when you’re working a jab guy vs. a leg kick guy? One guy is going to have to close the distance to get a win, how does he accomplish that? (LoneCowboy)
Andrew Richardson: Ideally, you use the jab to build combinations rather than maintain distance. You could do so by doubling or tripling the jab, jabbing the body, faking the jab then leaping into a left hook — a million different ways. Volkanovski, for example, does really good work in closing a lot of distance with the jab by bringing both feet forward rather than just his lead leg, allowing him to follow up from a shorter distance than opponents expect. Better yet, fake a jab, draw the low kick out, and then blast the guy with a right while he’s standing on one leg (that’s my official prediction for Saturday night).
Jesse Holland: We’ve had to sit through so many boring Sean Strickland fights at Meta Apex, (jab, teep, jap, raise the knee six times, jab) that we should be used to it by now. Or at least be numb. I don’t enjoy watching these middling “Fight Night” cards but this is my job so here I am. Maybe Johnny Walker will go back to his light heavyweight roots and try some spinning shit? Please? Maybe?
Tim Edwards: That’s exactly how I see this fight playing out. Maybe we’ll get lucky, though, and Walker will leap into a punch (Arlovski vs. Fedor style) and we’ll get to wrap this up early.
